Mountain goats are not native to the Olympic Peninsula. They were introduced to the Olympic Mountains prior to the establishment of the national park (1938), and have since colonized the entire range.

One Shirt = One Tree

NPS refers to the Mountain Goats as an exotic species and says the ungulates desire to eat everything in site. They say the mountain goats are damaging the sensitive vegetation communities of the region.

But officials also point to new concerns that were raised in 2010 when when a visitor was fatally gored by a mountain goat while hiking on a park trail.

Mountain goats have a high affinity for salts. There are no natural sources of salt in the Olympic Mountains, and mountain goats have learned to seek salts from humans.

In areas with high levels of visitor use within the park, mountain goats have become conditioned to the extent that they are a nuisance and may be hazardous to visitors.

How Many Mountain Goats Are There?

Approximately 12 mountain goats were introduced to the Olympic Peninsula near Lake Crescent from 1925 to 1929. By the early 1980s, the mountain goat population in the park had grown to more than 1,000.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the park conducted a series of management plans that significantly reduced the population.