Snowgrass Trail #96

Snowgrass Trail #96 is a long-distance hike route in the Goat Rocks Wilderness within Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It starts at the Berry Patch Trailhead and ends at its junction with Pacific Crest Trail #2000, after linking to Snowgrass Trail #96 through the wilderness corridor.

Route character is built around climbing out of conifer forest, then rising through switchbacks and talus/timber terrain to reach Bypass Trail #97 (at mile 4). From there the route continues to intersect Lily Basin Trail #86 and ultimately meets the PCT #2000 connection point in Goat Rocks Wilderness.

A key option for route planning is the Bypass Trail #97 connection at the mile 4 junction, which provides an alternate way back toward lower-trail connections rather than committing to the PCT segment immediately.

Common permit/logistics expectations for this corridor: a self-issued wilderness permit is required and is available at the trailhead, and a Recreation Pass is required for entry. The Berry Patch trailhead has a vault toilet, but potable water is not available at the site; the wilderness route itself includes backcountry water sources to plan around.

Seasonally, the trail sits in a high-use summer pattern: low-elevation areas typically melt out by mid-May, while higher elevations typically melt out by mid-July. Snow may linger in spots on north-facing slopes, and wilderness management notes the Snowgrass/Goat Lake/Old Snowy area as the most crowded in the Goat Rocks Wilderness during summer—often with very high trail traffic.

From an access point, the Berry Patch trailhead is on Forest Road 2150 near Chambers Lake; the trail also has an alternate approach via the Snowgrass Hikers Trailhead. The route is open to hiker use and horse riding use (not bicycles), and the mapped trail surface is ground/path.

More information: Visitor information, Visitor information, Snowgrass Flat Hike