Pack Goats

Pack goats are easy on trails and campsites, allowing your party to tread lightly on the land.

Alpine goat carrying pack for backpacking or hiking

Goats are ideal pack animals for backpackers and day-hikers. Hand-raised goats are polite, inquisitive, sure-footed, and willing companions, capable of carrying 25-30% of their body weight, approximately 30-65 pounds. You may meet our older, retired pack goats. We can no longer backpack, nor can the old guys, but Lanita and Suzanne hiked hundreds of miles with these sweet and willing companions carrying our camp and provisions. Today we all walk (unladen) around our land.

Learn about hiking trails on the ranch and in the region.

Tread Lightly

Pack goats are easy on trails and campsites, allowing your party to tread lightly on the land. Where regulations permit, they provide an easy and efficient way to transport gear over varied terrain such as packed snow, fallen logs or rock. Goats are favored by hunters because they tend not to frighten game in the wild. Pack goats and their gear also cost much less than the alternative pack stock: horses, mules or llamas. Currently, pack goats are permitted in the National Forests and BLM lands on pack-stock-designated trails and in designated remote backcountry. Pack goats are not allowed in national parks, or where wild mountain goats or sheep are present.

Pack goats are outfitted with specially made packs; resembling small mule packs, each has a wooden cross buck, pads and a set of panniers. Willow-Witt Ranch pack goats are bred, raised and trained for backpacking. We begin leash and water training at two months and work with each Alpine kid one-on-one to ensure calm, reliable goats. We sell young, castrated males (wethers) as ‘started’ pack goats; purchasers continue the goats’ training as they mature and reach age and weight to carry full packs. If you are interested in pack goats, start your study and understanding of goat packing by ordering a copy of The Pack Goat by John Mionczynski. This is a great book, with extensive information about goat development and behavior, as well as packing.

For more information, or to get started acquiring a pack goat, email us: info@WillowWittRanch.com