Access: Since SR26 is closed from the north due to a washout, you must come in on SR26 from the south. Take SR25 south out of Randle then SR99 west towards Windy Ridge. At approx 7 mi in, take SR25 north to 1/4 mi past the Ryan Lake Interpretive Site road. Take the TH road west for about 1/2 mi.
Hike: First mile is moderately steep but a great trail thru the Doug Fir and Western Hemlock. Continue west on Trail #217. In August the huckleberries were ripe and plentiful! The SOTA peak is the second "hump" and NOT the Goat Mountain as marked on maps. The map Goat Mtn is about 1-1/2 mi more west and according to CalTopo.com is about 20 ft less elevation.
The best access to the top is to hike west of the SOTA summit then come back east on the clear ridge to the rocky summit. This route only adds about 3/4 mile but is much easier to hike. If you hike to the summit from the east side, it is a bushwhack thru the underbrush. Take your GPS to mark where you departed Trail #217 and some waypoints. On the return, it is too easy to get into the scrub brush!
In mid-August, there were black flies! And I saw some elk track.
Great views to the south of St Helens and Whittier Ridge and east to Mt Adams from the rocky outcropings at the top. I had no cell coverage but was getting APRS pings. I think you could SOTA-spot via APRS.
