Goat Lick Overlook

The Goat Lick Overlook at Glacier National Park near Essex, Montana is a universally-accessible 0.2-mile loop trail that leads to several overlook points where visitors can usually find mountain goats during springtime.

Exploring the Goat Lick Overlook

This very short trail provides visitors with viewpoints high above the Middle Fork Flathead River where you can spot mountain goats licking the steep rocky terrain for salt and minerals. During Spring, mountain goats descend from higher elevations down to the Goat Lick Overlook area to literally lick the rocks, which provide the animals with necessary nutrients to live. The goats focus their attention on wet seeps in the rock where more minerals are carried in solution.

The trail itself is paved and universally-accessible in either direction; however, the far north section of the trail follows a series of staircases that connect the two overlooks. If you hike the trail in a loop, you can hit all of the four viewpoints (as of September 2024) with two of the viewpoints located across a steep rocky gorge from where the goats generally show-up each Spring to collect their nutrients. The trail ends back at parking for a short 0.2-mile jaunt.

When we visited in September, unfortunately the mountain goats no longer needed the salt and nutrients from the area, so we saw 0 goats, but we also saw 0 people -- which made for a really nice stop along a very-long day drive back from the East Glacier area.

Universal Accessibility

Note that this trail is universally-accessible but is not fully accessible. The trailhead leads to a split in the loop where both portions of the loop are accessible; however, the northern part of the loop follows a series of staircases that connect the two overlook areas which is not accessible.

Parking

Hikers will find a very-large parking lot at the coordinates provided. The lot is large enough to fit a couple dozen vehicles as of September 2024.

Pets

Dogs are not allowed on any trails at Glacier National Park.

Warning

Grizzly bears: This trail is frequented often by grizzly bears, especially in late Summer and early Fall as they scrounge for 20 hours/day bulking for the winter. Always give wild animals plenty of space, including several hundred feet for grizzlies. It's best to bring bear spray on this hike as a last defense just in case a grizzly were to charge at you. Always make plenty of noise while hiking to alert animals to your presence long before you see them. It's also smart to hike with another person.