Rocky Mountain Goat Lookout

Rocky Mountain Goat Lookout. Little Cottonwood Canyon. The Twin Peaks Wilderness Area to the north and the Lone Peak Wilderness Area to the south are home to approximately 150 Rocky Mountain goats. Although native to North America, few Rocky survived at the time of Utah's settlement. The Rocky Mountain goat herd in this canyon, known as the Lone Peak population, is the result of an initial transplant by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources from the state of Washington in 1967.

Largely out of view above the timberline in the summer months, goats are frequently observed nearby high on the jagged rocks during the winter. Usually seen in groups of less than ten animals, a glimpse of Rocky Mountain goats is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Try to spot goats with the naked eye on the steep slopes, benches and ledges that surround you and then use the telescope to gain a magnified view of these incredible animals.

Rocky Mountain goats stand three to three and one-half feet at the shoulder and weigh from one hundred to three hundred pounds as adults. Off-white, long fur, a definite beard, short, smooth horns (that curve slightly backward) and black hooves describe male and female.

Rocky Mountain goats are part grazers and part browsers, feeding upon moss, lichens, berries, shrubs and trees that dot the rocky crags near timberline and where these ace mountaineers secure protection from predators and the weather. These surefooted rock climbers have a spongy padding on the underside of each hoof which helps them "stick" to sheer surfaces. The ability of Rocky Mountain goats to survive freezing temperatures and howling winds in hazardous terrain is amazing!