Trip

Open Backpack - Snowgrass Flat & Goat Lake Basin

Hike one of the most spectacular part of the Cascades. Great opportunities to take pictures of 3 volcanoes (Rainier, Adams and St. Helens) in one single frame!

Contacts

Glauco Ferrari

Primary Leader

Wed, Jul 30, 2025 — Fri, Aug 1, 2025
Committee: Seattle Backpacking Committee
Activity Type: Backpacking
Audience: Adults

Difficulty: Strenuous
Leader Rating: Moderate
Mileage: 25.0 mi
Elevation Gain: 6,000 ft
Pace: 1.5 mph

Availability: 5 (5 capacity)
Assistant Leader Availability: FULL (1 capacity)
Cancellation & Refund Policy

Leader's notes

Snowgrass flat, Goat Lake and Cispus basin are absolutely spectacular places on the Cascade. Consequently they are quite busy during the week-ends but quite manageable during the week.

Here's the high level program, more details as we get closer.

Day 1:

Meet at trailhead around 10am
Hike to Snowgrass flat and set up camp
After lunch hike to Goat Lake

Day 2:

Hike on the PCT to Old Snowy (not scrambling the top, we will stop after the first snowfield)
Hike to Cispus basin and possibly Cispus Pass

Day 3:

Hike back to trailhead

While not extremely difficult, it will still require to hike 10-15 miles per day and up to 3,000 feet of elevation per day.

Meeting place and time

Meeting at Trailhead at 10am. It takes 3 1/2 hours from Seattle to get there. The last 10 miles are on dirt road, usually in good conditions, no high clearance vehicle required.

Route/Place

Snowgrass Flat & Goat Lake Basin

Recommended Maps & Charts:
Green Trails Goat Rocks William O Douglas Wilderness No. 303S
Green Trails White Pass No. 303
Green Trails Packwood No. 302
USGS Hamilton Buttes
USGS Walupt Lake
USGS Packwood Lake
USGS Old Snowy Mountain
See full route/place details.