Goat Marsh Lake Hike

Overview

This short hike into the Goat Marsh Research Natural Area allows you to encounter a variety of natural habitats in a rather small area: a Mt. St. Helens pyroclastic layer reforested with lodgepole pine; massive old growth, most notably of noble fir; and relatively young wetlands, formed about 400 years ago along the base of Goat Mountain when pyroclastic flows blocked Coldspring Creek, which essentially "disappears" into this marshy area. There are two areas of open water which have earned the name "lake." The massive noble fir groves here are equaled on the planet only by stands of coast redwoods in density of wood biomass. As this is a scientific research area, only the minimum disturbance of keeping to the hiking trail is permitted.

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