Goat wall Rock Climbing

Where to Park;
From the east, take highway 1 west to the 1X Seebee/Exshaw turn off, going north on the 1X. At the 1X/1A junction, go West on the 1A towards Exshaw. Park in the lot across the street from the Class III landfill, 4 km from the 1A/1X junction. From the west, take the 1A east from Canmore for 17km.

The hiking;

1.5-2 hours

From the parking lot cross the highway and walk towards the dump entrance, stepping over a road gate when the dump is closed. Look to the right to find a trail that follows the fence of the dump along its east side. Follow this trail as it turns to the west (left) still alongside the fence. You will pass a y junction about 10 minutes from the car. Keep left. The trail will move away from the landfill fence and you will come to a second Y junction 15 minutes from the parking lot. The left branch goes directly to the Kid Goat area, take the right fork. This trail parallels the Goat massif heading north. Keep right at the various junctions. After about 30-40 minutes from the parking lot, the trail crosses the edge of a small open meadow with a small dirt wash and a stand of poplars. There is a view of Goat buttress and Yamnuska across the meadow. Leave this main trail and follow the left edge of the meadow finding a smaller trail at the north-west corner of the meadow. In about another 15-20 minutes along this smaller trail, which generally heads north (aiming for the Yam/Goat col), you will come to the creek bed that drains the bowl left of Goat buttress. Cross the creek bed and head west(left) paralleling the creek bed. After about 200 meters the trail heads up and right in a switchback up a grass slope. Winding left at the top of the slope you will encounter a sandy slope with small cliffs at its top. Traverse the slope, cross a small side creek and continue paralleling the creek bed. In another 150 meters enter the creek bed. About 300 meters up creek, generally staying on the right side, the creek bed narrows with cliffs on the left side and fallen trees baring the creek bed. Leave the creek here hiking steeply up a mossy hill to the right. The trail enters a slight forested gully and goes up the gully about 100 meters before side hilling up and right. Side hill horizontally another 60m before crossing the gully again back left. Contour left around a shallow ridge. Traverse up and left across semi open slopes into a drainage coming down from the Goat wall. Enter the drainage/creek and cross 15m upstream, climbing up out of the creek on a boulder and tree root. Hike up and then left to gain an open rib. Follow the open rib up through a small rock band onto a broad forested shoulder. Follow the left side of the shoulder uphill 150m, then cut left around the shoulder into another drainage/creek bed. Scramble down steeply into the creek and cross the creek 5m downstream. This is the last water on the approach and is only 10 minutes from the wall. Small trickles are often found downstream. Hike up and left coming to the shoulder above the main creek bed, following a couple switchbacks to open talus below the wall.