Packwood Lake Trailhead — Goat Rocks Wilderness Gateway

Packwood Lake sits about 4.5 miles up Trail 78 from this trailhead, but the trailhead itself is the real intel point for overlanders running the White Pass corridor. You’re looking at a large gravel staging area with vault toilets, a wilderness registration box, and the start of one of the more dramatic backcountry approaches on the western slope of the Cascades. The lake basin is framed by the Goat Rocks peaks — remnants of an ancient volcano — and the views from the upper trail rival anything on the PCT.

The FR 1260 spur off US-12 is well-signed and passable by high-clearance 2WD in dry conditions. Snow can block access into June at the upper end. Day use is free; overnight trips into the wilderness require a self-issue permit at the trailhead box. Summers fill fast on weekends — get here early or come mid-week.

Goat Rocks wilderness starts here.