Billy Goat Gulch 4W339
Billy Goat Gulch Trail (4W339)
Distance: 2.4 miles
Approx Running time: 1 to 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Most Difficult
Pass Needed: NO
The Billy Goat Gulch Trail runs up hill from the end of FS-9712-113 road located north of the town of Liberty to the FS-9712 Road above Cougar gulch.
It should be noted that as of August of 2006 the trail marker at the end of FS113 for 4W339 was incorrectly marked as 4W332 which actually starts further back and off to the right side of FS113
The trail starts off from the 113 road with a very steep and rutted hill as it climbs up the ridge that separates Lion and Cougar Gulch. It continues to run the ridge line, passing 4W332 after about 3/4 of a mile At about the 1 mile point there is a spectacular sandstone formation that is a favorite for rock climbers and is a great place to explore.
From the sandstone formation the trail drops sharply down hill as it descends into Lion Gulch. This portion of the trail has very deep tire grooves and requires you to straddle the grooves in order to prevent you from dropping in and doing damage. Half way down the hill is a large boulder protruding into the trail that for the longer rigs may require some help in fending off damage.
Once at the bottom the trail turns to the right and starts a gradual climb back up to the top of the ridge line. At this point the trail drops in complexity to a "More Difficult". At the 2.4 mile point you will end up back on the FS-9712 road. If the conditions are wet then the hill climbs/descents will become a winch-fest and could lead to a very long day. There is very little off-camber which is so common on many of the Liberty trails.
Getting There:
Turn off of Hwy97 onto Liberty Road and proceed 1.4 miles towards the town of Liberty. Just before entering the town, turn left onto FS9712 (Lion Gulch Rd.). Follow FS9712 for 1/2 mile and bear right onto the 113 road which is a very little used road that resembles a 4x4 trail itself. Just after a mile on the 113 road you will pass the trail head for 4W332 on the right. Continue to the end of FS113 and the trail head for 4W339. As stated above the trail marker incorrectly identifies the 339 trail as 4W332 as of 9/6/07.
GPS Data File: LionGulch.zip
(includes .TXT, .GDB and GPX formats for both the Lion Gulch and Billy Goat Gulch trails.)
Printable Map: Lion Gulch.pdf
Camping:
