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Hikes · McBride & Robson Valley · Goat River / Highway 16 East

Lower Goat River

Linear trail through old cedar forest; Loos-to-highway and Loos-to-FSR are different sections.

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

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Distance
14.5 kmPoint to point
Elevation gain
300 mPublished route measurement
Walking time
4 to 6 hours one way
Difficulty
ModeratePoint to Point

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Partial elevation profile

Mapped portion · walking direction unconfirmed · 0.66 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 itinerary750 m775 m800 m0 km0.2 km0.3 km0.5 km0.7 km
Explore the elevation with the chart or slider.
Coverage and elevation sources

0.66 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/967715872. Sampled and rounded for display.

Mapped named trail. Only a short named Lower Goat River section is present in this source. It is not a complete lower-river hike or through-route. Line source (opens original source).

Getting there & parking

  1. From Highway 16 near Crescent Spur, take Loos Road north, then turn right onto Prospect Road and continue to its end.

  2. For a shorter section, use the Highway 16 Goat River rest-area access; the trail crosses the river using the highway bridge.

Parking: The northern trailhead is at the end of Prospect Road near Crescent Spur. Other access points are the Highway 16 Goat River rest area and Kopas Camp at Goat River FSR kilometre 5.

Full access notes

For the Crescent Spur start, leave Highway 16 on Loos Road about 50 km west of McBride, then turn right onto Prospect Road and continue to its end. The trail steward also identifies access from the Goat River highway rest area and from Kopas Camp at about kilometre 5 of Goat River Forest Service Road. Choose the endpoints before leaving a vehicle: the full lower route is point to point.

Map position: 53.49463, -120.60633 · mapped LowerGoat trail west-end sign; parking unverified. OSMnode14208003558 named LowerGoatRiverTrailWestEnd; nearby separate information sign also explicitly identifies LowerGoat, distinct from UpperGoatRiver trail. Source-backed reference location; current access, exact parking and field position not independently verified.

On the trail

  1. From Crescent Spur, follow the forest trail toward Highway 16, approximately 11 km from the northern start.

  2. Use the Highway 16 bridge crossing and continue toward Kopas Camp if completing the lower trail. The steward brochure gives about 14 km for Crescent Spur to Kopas.

Full route notes

From the Crescent Spur trailhead, follow the lower Goat corridor through old-growth cedar rainforest toward Highway 16. Around 11 km from the northern start, the route crosses the Goat River using the highway bridge, then continues to Kopas Camp in an old logging block. The steward gives about 14 km for the complete lower section, while the older club description rounds the road-end extent to 14.5 km. A short outing from the highway rest area is a different distance. Arrange a shuttle for the full traverse or plan the doubled walking distance if returning to the same vehicle.

The way back

This is a point-to-point trail. Arrange transport between chosen endpoints or retrace your section; the approximately 14 km full lower trail is not a 14 km return.

Terrain: rough route.

Distance and elevation source notes

About 11 km from Loos to H16 one way and 14.5 km one way to the Goat River Forest Road.

300 m

Source comparison: Loos to Goat River FSR; 14.5 km; one-way scope. Same endpoint is already represented; one-way spelling does not create a route.

Source comparison: Loos to Highway 16; 11 km; one way scope. Same endpoint is already represented; one-way spelling does not create a route.

Source comparison: Loos to Goat River FSR; 14.5 km; 300 m ascent; 4–6 hours one way duration; one way scope. Same endpoint is already represented; one-way spelling does not create a route.

Conditions & seasons

The highway bridge crossing and forest-road access are part of the route, and later storm damage can change trail conditions. The steward’s brochure is undated and contains historical transport references, so its access layout is not a current maintenance inspection.

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

Kopas Camp is the named endpoint of the lower route on the steward’s map. Current capacity and facilities were not established by the written guide, so confirm the site before relying on it for an overnight. The upper Goat wilderness camps belong to a separate trail section beyond the forest-road connection.

Photos of Lower 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://caledoniaramblers.ca/trails/lower-goat-river (opens original source)
  2. https://mapcarta.com/N14208003558 (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/967715872 (opens original source)
Details still being researched
  • The source does not provide complete road-junction instructions for all three access points.

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