Historic Goat River

Point to point: 49 km
Elevation gain: Not established
Walking time: 3–5 days
Difficulty: Unconfirmed

one-way Upper Goat traverse between Goat–Milk confluence and Littlefield Creek; separate Lower Goat section and road connection excluded

https://hikingprincegeorge.com/hikes/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.

1. Getting there and parking

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.

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

Road and vehicle: McBride Tourism recommends high clearance for the upper eastern approach. The older brochure’s broad car-access statement is not a present road inspection.

2. Walking the route

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.

From the eastern side, cross the Milk River logging bridge and follow the Goat River upstream toward the cable-car crossing.
Beyond that crossing, the route includes Whitehorse Creek and the major Macleod Creek ford. High water can make these crossings impassable.
Continue toward Summit Creek, then leave the Goat drainage for Wolverine Pass and the Bowron Lake Park boundary.
Beyond Cushman Camp, follow the Wolverine drainage, climb into the old logging block and continue on deactivated roads toward the Isaac Lake view.
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.

The return

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.

3. Route map

Opening the map…

Mapped named trail

© OpenStreetMap contributors. Route geometry is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. · Line source · Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Source-line database: https://hikingprincegeorge.com/data/osm-route-lines.geojson

Partial elevation profile

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

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

Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/197278121. Sampled and rounded for display.

Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence

Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Profile source checked: 2026-10-18

Published locations

Numbered points match the map. Use the role beside each point. A summit or park reference point is not a parking location.

Place and role	Coordinates	Source and notes
Historic Goat River start point of published trip track (parking unverified)	53.424680 -120.710320	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. https://hiking.princegeorge.tech/goat-river-trail-bc/

5. Camping, facilities and seasons

Camping and tenting

The brochure identifies established higher-ground camps with bear caches and pit toilets. River gravel bars can flood. Cushman Camp is in an avalanche path; no general permission for every possible camp location is implied.

Water

The route has numerous rivers and creek crossings, but no treated drinking-water service is established.

Season and access

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.

Practical details checked 2026-10-17.

Your trip notes

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