Mountain goats with sharp horns and newborn kids are roaming Little Cottonwood Canyon trails this summer, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants hikers and dog owners to give them a wide berth.
The agency issued an advisory Monday, Aug. 17, warning anyone on Wasatch Range trails to stay at least 150 feet from mountain goats during the nursery-herd season. Little Cottonwood Canyon is one of several locations DWR named specifically, according to Utah News Dispatch.
"If you get too close, they can come at you with those sharp horns, and it can be dangerous," said Rusty Robinson, the division's coordinator for once-in-a-lifetime species.
Nanny goats give birth in late May and band together into nursery herds through the summer. They become territorial while nursing their kids and may charge humans and dogs that get too close. Unlike most big game, females carry horns too, making it hard to distinguish them from males at a distance.
Dogs are at highest risk
Robinson said mountain goats may charge dogs in particular. In 2023, goats killed three dogs in a single month at Mount Timpanogos, roughly 50 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. DWR is urging all canyon hikers to keep dogs leashed and under control.
The goats are most active during mornings and evenings on hot summer days, which means early hikers and after-work trail runners in Little Cottonwood Canyon are most likely to encounter them.
What to do if you see one
DWR's safety guidance for a mountain goat encounter:
- Slowly back away. If the goat keeps approaching, wave your arms and make loud noise.
- Keep dogs leashed and close.
- Check U.S. Forest Service trailhead signs for current warnings.
- Relieve yourself away from the trail. Mountain goats crave salt and will follow urine to hiking paths.
- Never feed a mountain goat or allow it to lick you.
If a goat blocks the trail, DWR advises hikers to slowly back away rather than attempt to pass.
Statewide context
Utah is home to about 1,500 mountain goats. The largest herds live in the Uinta Mountains and the Tushar Mountains, where the massive Cottonwood Fire burned more than 97,000 acres this summer. Robinson said the charred landscape may actually open more habitat for the goats, which prefer terrain with less tree cover.
Wasatch Range herds, including those in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Mount Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain and Provo Peak, are smaller but closer to heavily used Front Range trails frequented by Cottonwood Heights and Holladay residents.
No specific end date for the nursery-herd season was given. Hikers should assume goats remain territorial through the end of summer.
