Located along U.S. Highway 2 just east of Essex is the Goat Lick Overlook, where people can stop and check out some of Glacier National Park’s famous scenery and, if you’re lucky, see one of the park’s most iconic residents.
While mountain goats usually prefer higher elevations, they often make the trek downhill to the Middle Fork of the Flathead River to find salt on the river’s edge. The Goat Lick Overlook provides a safe place for visitors to park and watch the goats as they feast near the gray cliffs to the south or near the cascading water to the north. Yet the goats’ appearance isn’t a guarantee and some visitors will have to accept the consolation prize of the winding river far below and peaks high above.
Located on the south side of U.S. Highway 2 is a small parking lot, with restrooms and an interpretive sign. Besides learning a little more about the area residents, visitors can take a short walking path to a more secluded overlook.
How To Get There: From Kalispell follow U.S. Highway 2 east to Essex, where you will enter Glacier National Park. The Goat Lick Overlook, on the south side of the road, is about two miles east of the Walton Ranger Station . Because the highway goes through the park, standard park fees are not required.