Goose Prairie Trail #972

Dogs Leashed

The trailhead is on the west side of Bumping River Road, while parking is on the east side. Spotting the trail can be a trick while driving.

From the signed trailhead, head onto the trail which briefly parallels the road. It then switches back south and gains some elevation. It appears some people cut this first switchback by shooting straight from the sign to the ridge - stay the trail. In the summer, the trail will pass through super-green undergrowth.

As of July 2017, from the moment you enter the wilderness area we started to encounter a ton of tree fall, which either makes running annoying or interactive depending on your preference. Some spots along the first half-mile of wilderness also suffered from erosion. Higher up the trail was in better condition. By the time you get to the steady switchbacks, about 1.5 miles in, the trail is great and the only remaining tree fall consists of massive logs rather than brush.

There is a great viewpoint at about a third of a mile in, and then after that the trail never quite opens up for the views that you'd hope for. You'll never actually see Bumping Lake from above either. However, the forest it heads through is beautiful and includes some massive old-growth trees. Aside from the roughly 0.5 miles of trail at the bottom of the wilderness, the trail is beautiful and never steep. The gradual nature of the trail makes it surprisingly easy going.