Mountain Goats in Western WA?

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BobH

BobH

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I'm looking for someplace to see mountain goats in Western Washington. I've been to Mt Rainier National Park many times, but our only "sighting" turned out to be a patch of snow on a cliff...

Where can we go and have a reasonable expectation of seeing them? (Aside from the zoo/NW trek). I seem to recall they're so "friendly" at Hurricane Ridge they're becoming dangerous. Is there an area there that we can get to without a long hike and see them from a respectful distance when we get there?

Other suggestions or ideas?
 
Are you willing to hike a little or pretty much roadside. I'll ask on a couple forums that I belong to.
 
I'm basically looking for roadside, or at least places I can spot them roadside, and then hike a short distance (a mile or less let's say) to get better shots. I don't want to hike 3 miles and then find out there's no goats.
 


I posted it on PortlandHikers.com. Hopefully somebody might have an answer. Goat Rocks and the Enchantments have goats but you have to hike in. They can be seen in the Mount Adams area, but not reliably.

I caught this one from my car. But I don't think they are seen frequently.

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Got my goat. by Janice L, on Flickr
 
I've seen mtn goats several times in the Tipsoo Lake area, which is just west of the Chinook Pass summit. Drivable and a short, flat hike around the lake.
 
Of course it was a hiking forum that I queried and all their responses required a hike in.
 
Tipsoo Lake is a promising location, looks like prime goat country, and I've heard of sighting there. But I've never seen one there.
 
BobH said:
Tipsoo Lake is a promising location, looks like prime goat country, and I've heard of sighting there. But I've never seen one there.
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if nothing else, you can stick around and get gorgeous shots of Rainier just after sundown, a la "Tipsoo Blue"...
 
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Never ask a hiking forum a question like this. :rolleyes: With the exception of the Oregon Zoo and Northwest trek they were all pretty decent hikes into Wilderness. I should have know better:p

I did get one response that suggested Sunrise. But I suppose that if there were goats there you would have seen them.
 
JaniceL said:
Never ask a hiking forum a question like this. :rolleyes: With the exception of the Oregon Zoo and Northwest trek they were all pretty decent hikes into Wilderness. I should have know better:p

I did get one response that suggested Sunrise. But I suppose that if there were goats there you would have seen them.
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I consider the ones at NW Trek to be "cheating". Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy that place, but I'm looking for ones in the wild.


Any of the hikes a reasonable distance? (Reasonable in terms of a middle aged photographer, not guys who think a 10 mile uphill hike is a great weekend stroll)


NW Trek:

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Thanks CB, bighorns definitely interest me. I just figured they're harder to find than goats... Thanks for the tip!
 
Without checking field guides I am thinking these are in areas that you will pitch a tent in. Their answers actually surprised me considering that I specifically asked for a short hike or better yet from a park car. Even after I clarified it from a short hike to a short walk they still came up with these areas where you would need a Wilderness Permit. Geez.
 
JaniceL said:
NW Trek was a sarcastic suggestion from some of the people on the forum I believe.
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NW Trek is actually a good suggestion, even though I'm guessing you're right that they were joking.

The few mountain goats they have there are in the free roaming area, so if you're lucky, you can get some nice photos. Under the right conditions, the shots won't look like they're in a zoo. So if you're looking for an easy way to photograph them, it's probably the best option.

Other than that, maybe you're right that the only options involve wilderness hikes and/or camping. They do tend to be in remote areas.

I had just heard about them pestering people in the Olympics, so I thought maybe some of those areas were more accessible.
 
BobH said:
I had just heard about them pestering people in the Olympics, so I thought maybe some of those areas were more accessible.
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There are lots of mountain goats (which are not really goats) in the Olympic Mountains. They are not a native species to the area but were introduced for hunting. Their numbers have risen to the point that they are stripping the hillsides of native vegetation and there have been discussions about thinning or eliminating them from the park.

I don't know how accessible they are to the parking lot at Hurricane Ridge without hiking. Be careful, as one gored a hiker to death.
 
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Hree's the biggest problem with trying to find mountain goats in Western Washington. In the spring they move up to elevations over 5,000 feet. There are only a few exceptions where you can drive or easily walk to get to those locations. They also prefer areas that are not easy for us to walk in, it's part of their survival instincts.

On Rainier I have seen them rarely over Chinook Pass, up at Sunrise, near Tolmie Peak, up high out of Paradise, and in the Tattosh Range on the south side of Rainier. I have also seen them in the North Cascades on Cascade Pass, but it might be a bit more of a hike you are looking for.

Goats are tough to find. Now bighorns can be found this time of year over White Pass and at the Oak Creek Wildlife area. Often times on a drive through the Yakima Canyon you can spot them on the opposit hillsides or sometimes right on the bank over the road, watch out though because they also can surprise you right in the middle of the road as you round a corner (happens in the summer on White Pass too).

Now it would be nice if NW Trek would put up a huge rock wall for the sheep and goats to play on. :rolleyes:

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Take a look at the maps for the goat areas from the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. It will give you an idea of some of the areas and accesses that have viewing available at the edges without having to hike in if you are lucky.
 
Here's some of the bighorns you can see at Oak Creek by pulling off on the side of the road anwywhere from the east end of Rimrock Lake down to the sheep feeding station at Hwys 12 and 410.

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One winter I saw a sizeable herd of desert bighorns in the lower Yakima canyon on the old highway between Ellensburg and Yakima. Like Tony S said, they were on a ridge directly over the highway. A railroad engineer once posted several photos on the Pacific Northwest Railfan Yahoo group of a herd of desert bighorns trying to jump the tracks in front of a train he was guiding through the lower Yakima canyon. I don't think he hit any of the goats, but there were a few close calls. :eek:

Several years ago while on a motorcycle trip to Northern Idaho, I came across two desert bighorns along the Grande Ronde River in the southeastern-most corner of Washington between the bottom of Rattlesnake Grade and Troy, OR. One had a radio collar around its neck. I think they had been drinking at the river. We stopped to watch them for a moment before they bounded across the road in front of us and scampered straight up the steep canyon side.

On the otherhand, I have never seen a mountain goat in the wild. :(
 
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Those sheep over on the Grande Ronde are California big horn sheep that were introduced in the late 70's, you can see them almost any day along the river all the way up to Troy, Ore.. Unfortunately the herd is down 30-40% from a high of just over 100 animals because of deaths from pneumonia.


Here's a group of the bighorns with lambs taken in the Yakima Canyon.


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...
 
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