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Goat Falls is one of a handful of waterfalls which was documented by a 1906 expedition (perhaps The Mountaineers) into the Goat Rocks. I have been aware of this waterfall for several years, but had absolutely no idea exactly where it was located. In June of 2007 I went backpacking in the area and while scouting the few waterfalls I knew of, I stumbled on this fall. As I viewed it, I was looking down at it on the south side of the stream flowing from the Meade Glacier on Gilbert Peak and it looked familiar. I was largely distracted by the much larger waterfall immediately downstream, so I snapped a quick picture and proceeded downstream. When I got home and compared it to the historic pictures on my hard drive, it turns out I had stumbled across the long lost Goat Falls. The biggest factor that threw me when I first saw it is the original photographs were taken from the other side of the creek and it was hard to match the angles. I need to properly photograph the falls, and I plan to return to the area in 2008. This is not the same Goat Falls that drains from Goat Lake on the west side of Gilbert Peak.
- Goat Falls is the Historical name of this waterfall.
Goat Falls was discovered and named in 1906 by a party exploring the headwaters of the South Fork Tieton River. The group actually ascended what is now known as Conrad Creek (it is the larger of the two streams feeding from the Goat Rocks), which was then presumed to be the Tieton. The falls were photographed by S.C. Smith during the expedition.
Goat Falls are located in the Gilbert Basin area on the east side of Gilbert Peak in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Accessing the falls requires an overnight outing (2 nights is suggested). Easiest access to the falls is via the South Fork Tieton Trail via Surprise Lake, then following the rough waytrail climbing to Gilbert Basin (roughly 9 miles from the trailhead). The falls are immediately above Great Falls on the Meade Fork. I do not recommend visiting the area unless you are comfortable with backpacking off-trail.
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