The Historic Goat River Trail

Recent road construction in the upper Goat has already destroyed one kilometre of the historic Goat River Trail.  If construction proceeds we stand to lose what little remains of this valuable recreation and heritage resource.

Originally cleared in 1886 by a crew led by Robert Buchanan, the Goat River Trail is the only heritage trail of its kind in the Fraser Headwaters Region.  Buchanan developed the trail to serve as a route between Barkerville and the upper Fraser River and it was used extensively by miners and prospectors until the railroad reached the upper reaches of the Fraser River around 1914.  Although no significant amount of gold ever came out of the Goat, at one point in time there were 30 miners working placer claims along its lower reaches.  Century-old blazes and derelict cabins can still be seen along the trail’s length, evidence of its colourful history.

In 1998, the Fraser Headwaters Alliance began a major effort to clear what remained of the original trail (several kilometres in the lower Goat had already been lost to logging blocks) as a hiking route in an effort to boost ecotourism in the region.  Over the next three years, hundreds of person-days of labour went into clearing and marking the trail between Crescent Spur and Bowron Lake Park Headquarters—a total distance of 95 kilometres. 

In 2000, the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC chose the Historic Goat River Trail as a link in the Sentier National Trail, a hiking route planned to connect existing trails and wild spaces across Canada.  Other trails to be included in the National Trail include the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail (Alexander Mackenzie Route), the 1861 Gold Rush Pack Trail and the Collins Yukon Telegraph Trail.

An opening ceremony held at the Crescent Spur trailhead in August, 2000 was attended by community representatives, First Nations, and conservation organizations, and marked the beginning of the first complete hike of the re-established trail.  More on the hike can be read here.

The Fraser Headwaters Alliance has produced a trail map and brochure profiling the Historic Goat River Trail.  To obtain a free copy, please contact the Alliance at (250) 968-4490, or email us.  Click here for a preview of the trail map (280K).