Arrived about 10 am on a Monday at Snowgrass TH, six vehicles. The dirt part of the road was bumpy with washboard but easily doable in a sedan. It was bow hunting season for elk and “any weapon” season for mountain goat, so we all wore hi-viz gear. Encountered several bow hunters in full camo in the parking lot and on the trail. None reported seeing any goats, only cow elk. We didn’t see any goats either for the entire three days, and heard no gunfire. Day one took us out to Cispus Basin, about 7 miles, where we camped on a knoll above Cispus Creek and below Goat Citadel. Amazing sunset colors. Plenty of water along the way including Snowgrass Creek along the PCT Bypass Trail and a lovely 30-foot waterfall right on the PCT in Cispus Basin. No bugs.

Day 2 we hiked back “northbound” on the PCT. We lightened packs at the junction with the Snowgrass Trail and continued on to Old Snowy where we scrambled toward the summit. After easily crossing two snowfields with trekking poles (sometimes kicking steps) we found the last 100 feet of vertical quite challenging, more like an all-fours scramble on broken rock, and two of us opted out of climbing the last 30 feet of the summit block: too much hand-work required and too much exposure for our taste. If you’re not an experienced scrambler or climber, this probably isn’t for you. But the views were still spectacular as we enjoyed a snack just below the summit block. We returned to our gear and then down the Snowgrass Trail to the Lily Basin Trail where we turned right and headed for Goat Lake. Plenty of water along the way, total of about 12 miles. We arrived at Goat Lake and saw only two other parties at the lake. It rained and blew pretty hard that night but aside from wind-blown dust blanketing the inside of my tent (and my face as I was sleeping), we were okay. A few bugs at the Old Snowy pass.

Day 3 the rain stopped right at our “wake up” time and we hiked back out the Lily Basin trail to the Snowgrass Trail and back to the Snowgrass TH. Spotted Mt. Adams through a gap in the clouds. Saw few hikers, a few hunters, and a party of four equestrians with pack animals. No bugs.

Many thanks to the trail crews who removed all the downed trees that I’d seen two weeks earlier. Bravo!

Recommendation: Consider not camping at Goat Lake. It’s difficult to respect the Wilderness regulation of camping no closer than 100 feet from the water, especially on a crowded summer weekend.  There are many campsites with water and views along the Lily Basin trail, or continue on around the “loop” and drop into Jordan Basin. Make your camp elsewhere and just bring your lunch (and a towel if you dare) to the lake. Three reasons: First, you’ll sleep better, with much less wind and much less fear of lightning. Second, you’ll protect this fragile ecosystem from one more load of poop where it’s virtually impossible to dig a cathole far enough away from the lake that you won’t pollute it. Third, you’ll enhance everyone’s experience of Goat Lake, where the beauty is mainly about the emerald green waters in this incredible stark and steep cirque. If you MUST camp at the lake, forget about digging a cathole, bring a blue bag and carry your stuff out. If you can’t stomach the blue bag (try it, you’ll like it!) get as far away from the lake as you can, bring a metal trowel to make a hole – pro tip: make your hole before you need it -- and absolutely do not leave your TP or wipes behind; bring an extra Ziploc and pack them out.

What an amazing trip! Day one we went up to Cispus Basin and made camp, and then took a side hike up to the pass. Tons of cute marmots and only a handful of other campers. Day two we went to the alpine junction and dropped our packs, then went up to old snowy (my friend crossed the snowfield, I elected to sit and marvel at the three volcano view!) we reunited and went back to our packs then over to Goat Lake- this was tough for me with the heat and fully exposed trail with minimal shade but I made it! We splashed in the lake and made camp with no one else around (a few other campers came in by nightfall.) In the morning we woke to a valley hazy with wildfire smoke and then hiked down goat ridge to berry patch and took the connector back to the snow grass parking lot. 

Some of the Larches are starting to turn and the wildflowers are mostly past their bloom but there were patches of June amidst the September and a few blueberries! Lots of industrious Pika and chipmunks but no goats on this trip. Truly an amazing adventure! 

Arrived at the Snowgrass TH on a Monday and found 20 cars there (about another 40 at the Berrypatch TH nearby). Basic itinerary: Day 1, make camp at Snowgrass Creek along the ByPass Trail, then explore the Cispus Basin almost to Cispus Pass and then a mile or two up the PCT in the direction of Old Snowy. Day 2, return to Snowgrass Trail and go up to Lily Basin Trail and then Goat Lake, returning “counter-clockwise” over Goat Ridge, down into Jordan Basin and then back to Snowgrass TH from Berrypatch TH on the connector trail.

Bugs: Biting black flies on Day 1, no skeeters. That night, it rained and cooled off. Day 2 was considerably colder and windier so experienced no bugs. Water: Plenty, including a lovely waterfall about 6.4 miles from TH, or 1.5 miles east/south on PCT from the PCT/ByPass Trail junction, in Cispus Basin on the PCT. Flowers: A bit late, but still plenty. Some meadows dominated by Pasque Flower, others by a sort of yellow daisy. People: Far fewer than expected. At the Randle ranger station, I was told that due to the wildfires along Mt. Adams, the PCT between the Columbia River and White Pass was closed to thru-hikers. I arrived at Goat Lake to find not a single tent. By the time I finished lunch, one tent was pitched (dutifully well away from the water’s edge) and another party had just arrived. Treefall: Several large trees down across the trail between Snowgrass TH and the ByPass Trail junction. 

Reminders: You’re going to have to go, so bring a trowel, dig a cathole at least 400 yards from the lake and pack out your paper. There are just too many people visiting this area to not be mindful about where and how to do your business. And remember, the rule is pitch your tent no closer than 400 yards from the lake. Just because other people have cheated in the past (there’s plenty of evidence of this) doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to do it. If we all try to be inconspicuous, we’ll improve the quality of the view for everyone. Dogs: Keep them leashed. After helping patch up a ranger who got bitten by someone’s dog on the PCT north of Harts Pass a few weeks ago, I was very pleased to see every dog on the trail leashed. Keep it up, dog owners, your efforts are very much appreciated!

This report is for the 100 classic hikes route. I couldn’t find much information/trip reports detailing this route.

Snowgrass TH > Snowgrass Flat trail > Bypass trail > PCT south > Cispus basin > PCT north > Snowgrass Flat trail > TH

Road: pronounced washboard and some sharp rocks but passable with care in any vehicle.

Trailhead: plenty of parking at 9:30am on a Monday, and plenty of parking available when I returned to the trailhead. No privy but there is one a little further down FR2150 at berry patch.

Crowds: not bad at all for August. Many happy faces and only 2 bad dog owners. Dogs were fine - their owners were bad. Get a leash if you can’t control your dogs. Also saw someone start a campfire away from the trail around 2pm during a burn ban… unacceptable. I saw about 10 tents pitched within sight of the trail on the entirety of this route, which was far less than I expected.

Trail: the entire route was pleasant and the trail was in great shape. Plenty of water along the way.

Just an overnight from Snowgrass into Cispus Basin, camping in the basin and going up to Cispus Pass. It's so wonderful to get to alpine areas with so little effort, as you park so high, relative to most of the mountain roads in our state. The flowers are stupendous, at peak or near peak from 5,000 to 6,500. There are still snow patches in the basin and at the pass, but by the time you read this there won't be any snow on the trail. 

Once again I sure wish people didn't bring their dogs into Wilderness areas. There were so many on this hike, and camping in Cispus Basin. You could hear them barking at night and barking at you as you walked on the trail. Can we go nowhere without our domesticated friends? Is there no place wild and free for the critters that have no other refuge? 

The weather Saturday was hot and blue. The bugs in the basin were pretty bad, but only partly due to skeeters. The yellow jackets were intense, and though it isn't the season for them to be aggressive yet, they are everywhere and on you. An enormous diversity of insects there, and it's so good to see as we have a global crisis of insect populations crashing due to insecticides. 

The trail has a few trees down as crews have not been up yet this year to clear yet. It was great to see so many young people out on the trail. Gives me hope for the future of wild places. There were two spicy ladies in their 70's up at the pass, celebrating being their age and still kicking butt.