Rocky Mountain Goat Reference Trip

Last week I was fortunate to spend some time observing and photographing Rocky Mountain Goats in their natural habitat. Of all the large mammals native to the region, mountain goats are probably the most difficult to find. With the exception of a few areas, they typically spend most of their time near the highest peaks in the Rockies. I’ve been researching this particular herd and location for a couple of years and was excited to finally make a trip.

Mountain goats can be found in numerous locations throughout the Rocky Mountain states, including several mountain ranges much closer to my home in Bozeman, but this particular area was attractive to me for a couple of reasons. First, there is a dirt road that enables you to drive nearly to the top of the mountain ridge at about 10,000 feet, thus limiting hiking time and increasing the time spent finding and viewing the goats. Most of the areas near my home that are inhabited by mountain goats require a strenuous half-day hike (at least) with no guarantee of spotting any goats. Second, the location of these goats happens to be fairly close to where most of our family lives. So, we were able to drop off our 2 year-old son to spend some time with his grandparents while my wife and I camped and hiked for a couple of days (a much needed vacation!). Then, once we finished with the mountain goats, we were able to spend a couple more days visiting with family.

As expected, the goats certainly lived up to their elusive reputation. The terrain was very steep and most of the goats we were able to spot were out of reach of even the largest zoom lens. However, the views were outstanding and while we hiked I was able to gather a lot of reference material of goat habitat that will surely show up in some future paintings. Just when it seemed we might strike out, my wife spotted a small group of goats moving through the forest below. We were able to quickly get in a good position to see the goats as they came out of the forest and climbed onto a large rocky ledge. The group of six goats then stopped and rested in the shade for awhile, which allowed me take a bunch of photos. They are really beautiful this time of year, as they’re well into the process of growing their long winter coats.

Overall, the trip was a success and the reference I was able to gather will surely generate several new paintings over the coming years. Most of all, it was great time spent in the outdoors taking it all in. Next weekend, it’s off to Yellowstone!