Utah Mountain Goat

Unit North Slope/south Slope, High Uintas East (North Slope / South Slope, High Uintas East)

Utah Hunting Guide — Mountain Goat

The High Uintas East mountain goat unit spans the alpine spine of the eastern Uinta Mountains — King's Peak (13,528 ft, Utah's highest), Gilbert Peak, Mount Emmons, and the surrounding cirques and ridgelines — across both Ashley and Uinta-Wasatch-Cache national forests in Duchesne, Uintah, and Summit counties. This is wilderness goat country with hard access, high elevations, and exceptional trophy quality.

View Draw Odds Utah Hunting Guide

Mountain Goat Hunting in Unit North Slope/south Slope, High Uintas East

Where to Find Goats in the High Uintas East

Goats here use classic alpine cliff-band terrain above timberline.

King's Peak and Gilbert Basin

The cliff bands around King's Peak, South King's, and the Gilbert Peak massif hold the unit's signature goat concentrations. Glass north and east faces from across Painter Basin.

Mount Emmons and Bluebell Knoll

Mount Emmons and the ridgeline toward Bluebell Knoll hold solitary billies on steep quartzite slabs. Access from the south via Swift Creek is brutal but viable.

Henry's Fork Basin

On the north slope, Henry's Fork Basin cirque walls and the ridge toward Dollar Lake hold groups of nannies and kids with scattered billies on the upper cliff bands.

How to Hunt High Uintas East Goats

This is the most physically demanding hunt in Utah — plan accordingly.

Pack Train to a Spike Camp

Henry's Fork Trailhead to Dollar Lake or Painter Basin is a 7–10 mile pack in. Most tag holders use horses or llamas to move a spike camp into basin country, then hunt on foot from there.

Glass Cliff Bands at First Light

Goats are highly visible white specks on dark cliff bands in morning light. Tripod-mounted 15x binoculars and a good spotting scope will locate goats from miles away.

Stalk Above the Goat

Billies will bolt downhill off cliffs if spooked — always plan stalks to approach from above. Rappelling gear is overkill but a sturdy hiking pole and solid scramble skills aren't.

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Mountain Goat Success Rates

Rifle65%

High Uintas East goat success is high — typically 80–95% for once-in-a-lifetime tag holders. UDWR regional biologists often share pre-season goat locations with tag holders. Most harvested billies have 9–10 inch horns with occasional 10+ inch trophies. Physical fitness is the primary limiting factor, not goat availability.

Mountain Goat Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Limited Entry	2	185	1.1%	26

Data from 2023 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Utah mountain goat is once-in-a-lifetime, drawn through UDWR's weighted bonus point system (weighted by point count, not squared-points). With roughly 8 goat tags per year against 809 applicants in a rolling 3-year window, this is a brutally competitive draw. Most successful residents hold 15–25+ bonus points; some hunters wait 20+ years and never draw.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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RV Sites

Henry's Fork, Christmas Meadows, and Swift Creek trailhead campgrounds accommodate small trailers. No RV access beyond trailheads.

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Camp Sites

Dispersed wilderness camping subject to Leave No Trace and High Uintas Wilderness rules (no camping within 200 ft of water/trail, etc.). Developed campgrounds at trailheads.

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Water

Abundant. Alpine lakes, creeks, and springs throughout. Filter all water.

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Road Conditions

Paved to trailheads (Henry's Fork, Christmas Meadows, Yellowstone Creek, Swift Creek). Trailheads themselves are gravel. All hunting access is foot or stock.

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Terrain Difficulty

Extreme. 7–15 mile hikes to goat country, elevations 10,500–13,500 ft, exposed scramble terrain. This is the most physical hunt in Utah.

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Hunting Pressure

Minimal from fellow goat hunters. Heavy foot traffic from backpackers and King's Peak climbers, especially Labor Day week.

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Weather

Late August/September day highs 55–70°F, nights below freezing. Afternoon thunderstorms nearly daily; lightning on exposed ridges is a real danger. Snow possible any time at 12,000+ ft.

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Cell Service

None above timberline. Spotty at trailheads. Satellite communicator mandatory.

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Nearest Town

Mountain View WY (45 minutes to Henry's Fork Trailhead on north slope), Vernal (2+ hours to south slope), Duchesne (1.5 hours to Swift Creek access).

Note: Hire a licensed packer if you don't have stock — Uinta outfitters based near Mountain View and Duchesne offer pack-in service. Train 6+ months for the physical demand; this is not a hunt to attempt in poor shape.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many points for a High Uintas East goat tag?

Plan for 15–25+ bonus points. Utah's weighted bonus point draw favors max-point applicants but is still a weighted random draw — even max points does not guarantee a tag.

Do I need a horse for this hunt?

Not strictly — strong backpackers can hunt it unsupported — but horses or llamas make the meat pack-out dramatically easier. Most successful hunters use stock.

Is this a nanny or billy only hunt?

UDWR permits are billy-only in most years; nanny tags are occasionally offered in limited management hunts. Check the current Big Game Guidebook for the season you draw.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunts — Mountain Goat — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Mountain goat is a once-in-a-lifetime species in Utah, High Uintas East is a managed goat unit · accessed 2026-04-17
Ashley National Forest / High Uintas Wilderness — USDA Forest Service — Ashley National Forest · supports: High Uintas Wilderness (456,705 acres) shared between Ashley NF and UWC NF, King's Peak (13,528 ft) is highest point in Utah · accessed 2026-04-17
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest — USDA Forest Service — Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest · supports: North slope of High Uintas administered by UWC NF (Evanston-Mountain View Ranger District), Henry's Fork and Christmas Meadows are major access points · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Hunt Boundary Interactive Map — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Hunt Planner · supports: Authoritative GIS polygon for High Uintas East goat unit · accessed 2026-04-17