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Hikes · McBride & Robson Valley · Robson Valley

Historic Goat River

A remote historic crossing between the upper Fraser River and the Bowron Lake plateau, with separate trail sections linked by a forest road.

Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.

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Distance
49 kmPoint to point
Elevation gain
Not establishedCumulative ascent for this outing has not been established.
Walking time
3–5 days
Difficulty
Not ratedPoint to point

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Partial elevation profile

Mapped portion · walking direction unconfirmed · 48.52 km

This chart covers only part of the route. It does not establish the full hike or a return journey.

Elevation along one mapped source section; direction is not an established walking itinerary800 m1050 m1300 m0 km12.1 km24.3 km36.4 km48.5 km
Explore the elevation with the chart or slider.
Coverage and elevation sources

48.52 km along source section 1 of 1, in its mapped direction. Approximate 90 m terrain model along this mapped section. Separate sections are not joined. This chart does not measure total trail ascent or establish current access; use the guide’s published outing measurements.

Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · checked 2026-10-18 · CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework. Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/197278121. Sampled and rounded for display.

Mapped named trail. The source is a long historic trail corridor. It is not a field-verified through-route; missing bridges, cable crossings and overgrowth require separate checks. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

  1. The eastern Upper Goat trailhead branches right near Goat River FSR kilometre 13, accessed from Highway 16 west of McBride.

  2. The western Littlefield Creek trailhead is approached from Bowron Lake headquarters toward Kruger Lake Road. The brochure places it 3.1 km beyond Wolverine Mountain Outfitters. Confirm current road access at both ends before arranging a traverse.

Full access notes

The Upper Goat through-route has distinct eastern and western road access. From the east, turn onto Goat River Forest Service Road about 37 km west of McBride and take the right fork near kilometre 13. From the west, the steward describes access via Bowron Lake park headquarters and Kruger Lake Road toward Littlefield Creek, approximately 3.1 km beyond the outfitter’s residence. Establish current road permission, bridge condition and a shuttle for both ends before setting out. The Lower Goat section from Crescent Spur is separate and connects to the upper trail through about 8 km of forest road.

Map position: 53.42468, -120.71032 · start point of published trip track (parking unverified). Embedded trip-map feature 'GoatRiverTrail': first recorded coordinate [-120.71032, 53.42468]. Point extracted from the original public trip map. A track start is evidence of where recording began, not certification of parking, legal access, road suitability or the complete route.

On the trail

  1. From the eastern side, cross the Milk River logging bridge and follow the Goat River upstream toward the cable-car crossing.

  2. Beyond that crossing, the route includes Whitehorse Creek and the major Macleod Creek ford. High water can make these crossings impassable.

  3. Continue toward Summit Creek, then leave the Goat drainage for Wolverine Pass and the Bowron Lake Park boundary.

  4. Beyond Cushman Camp, follow the Wolverine drainage, climb into the old logging block and continue on deactivated roads toward the Isaac Lake view.

  5. The final Littlefield Creek approach includes three creek fords before the western trailhead. The brochure sequence is a planning overview, not a verified replacement for a detailed navigation map.

Full route notes

The roughly 49 km Upper Goat route follows the historic corridor from the Goat–Milk confluence toward Littlefield Creek over three to five days in the steward’s description. After the Milk River bridge and Goat River cable-car crossing, further travel requires repeated fords, including Whitehorse Creek and the particularly difficult Macleod Creek crossing around 14 km from the eastern start. The route continues toward Summit Creek and Wolverine Pass, then follows the Wolverine drainage before using old logging roads toward Littlefield Creek. Several Littlefield crossings remain before the western road end. High water can make the fords impossible, and a cable car or historic route marker is not proof of current safe passage. Use the steward’s current route advice and independently plan the crossings, camps and emergency exit options.

The way back

The Upper Goat traverse is approximately 49 km one way over 3–5 days in the steward brochure and needs transport between distant trailheads. Lower Goat is a separate approximately 14 km trail, with about 8 km of forest road between the two recreation trails.

Conditions & seasons

Spring runoff and heavy rain can make major fords impassable. The steward’s linked brochure contains historical transport details and is not a current crossing or maintenance report; obtain a recent condition assessment before committing to the full remote traverse.

These are dated research notes. Open the trip planner for current available weather and advisory feeds; no alert found does not establish that a trail or road is open.

Check weather & available updates →

Camping & overnight plans

The steward identifies established higher-ground camps with food-storage cables and pit toilets on parts of the Upper Goat route, plus more exposed wilderness camping farther along. Gravel bars can flood and should not be treated as dependable camps during rising water. Cushman Camp lies in an avalanche path near Wolverine Pass; its summer use does not make it a safe snow-season camp. Current facilities and route chainages need confirmation before finalizing overnight stages.

Photos of Historic Goat River

A photograph with confirmed reuse permission has not yet been added to this guide.

Original photo galleries

These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.

Take this guide with you

Choose a trip pack or an available individual sheet for your map case.

Full trip packDirections, planning notes & available mapsTopographic mapSource lines and published locationsPartial elevation sheetMapped portion only; not a complete outingSave offline guideDownload a copy to your device
Sources, dates & research notes

Descriptions are written for this guide from the linked evidence. Source review dates, published reports and field observations can differ. Photographs and route lines retain their own attribution and reuse terms.

  1. https://mcbridetourism.ca/adventure-outdoor/hiking/ (opens original source)
  2. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/goat-river-trail-bc/ (opens original source)
  3. https://fraserheadwaters.org/index.php/trails/ (opens original source)
  4. https://fraserheadwaters.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Goat-River-Finished-inside-of-Brochure-the-very-last-one.pdf (opens original source)
OpenStreetMap line references (1)

These contributor-mapped features support the map geometry. They are separate from the written access and route sources.

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/197278121 (opens original source)
Details still being researched
  • Conflicting total lengths and endpoint references need reconciliation against the Fraser Headwaters Alliance brochure.

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