August Official Trail Run: Goose Lake August 14th (1 Viewer)

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Bozeman, MT
This is one not to miss!

One of the best trails I have ever been on personally and I have wheeled ALL over the USA. This trail has everything, views, rocks, views, lakes, views, technical obstacles, views, amazing camping, views, wild flowers and views.

Goose Lake just outside of Cooke City.

Any good Toyota 4x4 with a good driver can run this trail. That said, sliders, bigger tires and airing down help. I think @thetoyotaman ran this in a mostly stock 100 series a few years ago. @AdventureFamily flopped a trailer on this one but that happens a lot to him. :bounce:

We suggest running this one as an overnight, camping Friday night at the trail head or getting up early and meeting up with the crew. Also, camping after the trail is highly recommended. A few years ago we went to the lake, hiked and camped roughly 1/3 way back down the trail. Others carried on and drove home. This is a choose your own adventure, camp before or after or neither. We are running the trail on Saturday the 14th.

Closest gas is Cooke City, you shouldn't need extra fuel.

There is a lot of by-passes around the hard stuff with a few sections that are more technical but we can guide you through. l would count on some pin-stripping, mud and rocks.

We will figure out when and where to meet when we see who's in!

Let's GOOO!

Who's in!?
 
I'm in. Bringing the whole clan.
Our plan is to base camp with our trailer just North of Cooke City and camp Thurs-Sat. We're hoping to be camped in the same place as last year, which had room for half dozen rigs if others want to join us one or more nights.
 
Tentatively planning on leaving Friday to go. Probably in the morning. Did yall camp last year at the same place near the top? Matt are you going to head up the mountain Friday? If so, maybe we could caravan up.
 
Tentatively planning on leaving Friday to go. Probably in the morning. Did yall camp last year at the same place near the top? Matt are you going to head up the mountain Friday? If so, maybe we could caravan up.
I'll camp low, just a few miles from Cooke City. before the Goose Lake Trail. Probably run Daisy and Lulu Passes on Friday. Then head up Goose Lake Trail with the Club on Saturday. But back to down to Cooke Sat night for us. My trailer won't make it up the Goose Lake Trail. Anyone's welcome to join us for camping or running the passes. PM for camping spot. I'll be on the HAM too. 146.460. That's how I found Jason up there last year. I found Ron at the end of the trail.

@elkun1 Are you going up again this year?
 
Can't make it this year, have a big picnic with a bunch of musicians Sam used to play with on Saturday in Butte. Be sure to check for closures due to fires, heard some rumours about the area. See ya tuesday
 
I'm in. Just trying to figure out which night I can overnight camp.
 
A summary from the Club meeting tonight.

10 am meetup Saturday at the Exxon gas station in the middle of Cooke City. Pretty sure it's the only gas station. 45.019834, -109.932484.
For those of you planning on driving Saturday morning, give yourself a little extra time if coming through YNP. There's sometimes buffalo jams ya know. Coming from Billings, I hear there's road construction on Beartooth Pass.

Trailhead starts here: 45.05204, -109.91512. Trail is an out-and-back so you can't really get lost. We may air down at the gas station, or maybe the turnoff to Lulu Pass Road.

There's no cell reception in Cooke City. None. There is wifi at the visitor center but I don't have the login info and not sure when it's open. (You can get the wifi signal outside, but you need it to be open to get the login and pword.)

Ham 146.460 and CB channel 4 for comms.

Here's the list of folks I heard (or overheard) and when they're headed over. I'll try to check this forum Saturday morning (from afore mentioned wifi hub) to see if any last minute check-ins or cancels.

@90WT Thurs night
@DangBird Friday night
@Citizen Kane Friday night
@MontanaLax Friday
@bagochips76 Saturday morning
@thetoyotaman Saturday morning
@406Camper Saturday morning


No plans were made for a camp site for Saturday night. Those of you camping Sat night can decide. Star Lake has been suggested. But no final plans. Again, some guys will be driving out Sat so there's flexibility.

Cooke City is bear country. Be prepared.
Fire season is bad. Be smart. Pretty sure no open fires allowed.

:steer:
 
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I was just up in the Cooke City area on Friday last week and Monday this week. Hiked the Beaten Path with a few friends and had to go retrieve our car.

If you're coming from the Red Lodge side, there is indeed road construction between Beartooth Lake just past Top of the World and the Clay Butte Fire Lookout. Road is closed completely from 7pm-7am, and they have a pilot car going back & forth during the day, so be prepared for up to a half hour delay. The whole road is torn up pretty significantly.

Good news is there's not much smoke from wildfires up there as of now. Monday night was as clear as I've seen it all summer, and at elevation you're even clearer, so the closer you get to Goose the better it should get. Wildlife has been reasonably active later in the day, we saw a massive bull moose last month on the Lulu Pass side. Haven't seen a lot of bear sign this year.

Bad news is the Cooke City area is crazy busy this year. I've been up several times so far and it's been packed to the rafters every time. Not only tourist traffic through the park, but plenty of people in the area surrounding Cooke. I've seen plenty of side by sides up there too, so be prepared to deal with them and teach them trail etiquette on the spot.

Hope you guys have a blast, I'm sorry I will miss it!
 
im gonna go with im not gonna make it. was trying very hard to make it happen but im just waiting on things to happen. ;(
 
According to MTDOT the Beartooth Highway closure is Monday - Thursday 7pm - 7am, but if they're running pilot cars there are probably delays even when they're not working.

I think we should be responsible as a club and just say no fires. YNP is under Stage 1 restrictions which is campfires prohibited in the backcountry, so better safe than on fire!

Looks like I need to be back Sunday so I'm hoping to head to Daisy/Lulu Friday after work, run Goose Lake Saturday, and head back to Bozeman Saturday night. We'll see how that plan holds up...
 
According to MTDOT the Beartooth Highway closure is Monday - Thursday 7pm - 7am, but if they're running pilot cars there are probably delays even when they're not working.

I think we should be responsible as a club and just say no fires. YNP is under Stage 1 restrictions which is campfires prohibited in the backcountry, so better safe than on fire!

Looks like I need to be back Sunday so I'm hoping to head to Daisy/Lulu Friday after work, run Goose Lake Saturday, and head back to Bozeman Saturday night. We'll see how that plan holds up...

You make a great point, I totally forgot that the closures are only Mon-Thur.

They have a stop light set up that runs on a timer, so regardless of whether work is being done, there will be delays coming over from that side.

To my knowledge, a burn ban is in effect in that area as well, so no fires regardless.
 
Any active fires in the area by chance? Know Red Lodge was burning good in Juneish Don't want to make the journey only to get shutdown/road/trail closure. Do not pass go...do not collect $200. Life is a gamble...willing to roll with it.
 
Any active fires in the area by chance? Know Red Lodge was burning good in Juneish Don't want to make the journey only to get shutdown/road/trail closure. Do not pass go...do not collect $200. Life is a gamble...willing to roll with it.
Nothing active up there at the moment.
 
OnX has a really cool feature now with wildfire layers. Nothing showing for the area.
1628735823962.png
 
ALL: I'm heading up Saturday morning. Going to take Chief Joseph Hwy instead since I am coming from Billings and will avoid BT Hwy. I'm planning on camping Saturday night and returning Sunday. See you all at 10am at Exxon in Cooke City.
 
Active fires are Robertson Draw (south of Red Lodge) and Trout Creek (South of Columbus heading toward Red Lodge).
1628736523347.png
 
All I can say is that due to a mishap I didn’t see with my dog and a family member going to have to make this tentative for Saturday. The ER and stitches may have been involved…
 
At Tuesday's meeting I mentioned to @MontanaLax and @90WT that I was planning to go. Last night I crashed hard while riding down from Hyalite Lake. I broke the law of gravity and the law won. I'm out for Goose Lake. :frown:
 

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