Goat Rocks Wilderness
The Goat Rocks Wilderness is a portion of the volcanic Cascade Mountain Range in southwestern Washington located between Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. The Goat Rocks are remnants of a large volcano, extinct for some two million years. Glaciation and erosion have worn away at the terrain here, leaving moderate summits on both sides of the crest of the Cascades. The elevation in the Goat Rocks ranges from 3,000 feet to 8,201 feet at Gilbert Peak. The deep east-west drainages below the ridges often open into park-like alpine meadows dotted with small lakes and even smaller ponds.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Washington |
| Size | 108,020 acres |
| Designated | 1964, by Congress |
| Center point | 46.54° N, 121.45° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 19 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
7 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
34 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 338 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| PCT: Gifford Pinchot ↗ | 151 | |
| Klickitat Loop ↗ | 23.7 | |
| South Fork Tieton ↗ | 18.7 | |
| PCT: Naches South ↗ | 16.1 | |
| Lilly Basin ↗ | 11.5 | |
| Packwood Lake ↗ | 9.1 | |
| Clear Fork ↗ | 8.7 | |
| Angry Mountain ↗ | 7.8 | |
| Bear Creek Mountain ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Coyote ↗ | 6.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedPackwood Lake Piles Rx - North
7 mi from the center point
- PrescribedSpud Piles Rx - North
21 mi from the center point
- PrescribedHorse Piles Rx - North
23 mi from the center point
- PrescribedMoe Pile Rx - North
25 mi from the center point · 32 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 1.5 miLa Wis Wis Guard Station No. 1165 ↗Packwood, WA
- 4.9 miOhanapecosh Comfort Station No. O-303 ↗Ohanapecosh, WA
- 4.9 miOhanapecosh Comfort Station No. O-302 ↗Ohanapecosh, WA
- 7.7 miThree Lakes Patrol Cabin ↗Ohanapecosh, WA
- 10.2 miShriner Peak Fire Lookout ↗Ohanapecosh, WA
- 10.6 miNorth Fork Guard Station No. 1142 ↗Randle, WA
- 11.7 miIndian Bar Trail Shelter ↗Paradise, WA
- 11.8 miNarada Falls Bridge ↗Paradise, WA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Goat Rocks Wilderness and Washington
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Goat Rocks Wilderness?
108,020 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Goat Rocks Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Goat Rocks Wilderness in?
Washington.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Goat Rocks Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1964.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Goat Rocks Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Goat Rocks Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.537° N, 121.448° W. Mount Rainier National Park is 15 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Goat Rocks Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Packwood Lake Piles Rx - North at 7 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Goat Rocks Wilderness?
Mount Rainier National Park (15 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Goat Rocks Wilderness?
The National Register has 18 listings within 15 miles, including La Wis Wis Guard Station No. 1165 and Ohanapecosh Comfort Station No. O-303.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.