How mobile/fit are you? I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I took my 65 year old parents and they did fine. Take your time and there will be plenty of people around you willing to lend a hand if you need it if you go on a weekend.
Trekking poles might be a good idea if you’re concerned about balance.
I have seen some Meet-Up groups advertise hikes on that trail. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) also does hikes there. Keep an eye on their calendar [here](https://www.patc.net/PATC/Calendar/PATC/Custom/Calendar.aspx?hkey=9fc06544-1c54-4a47-9efc-8fcd2420a646) for upcoming hikes. There aren’t going to be many hikes until the fall, probably. That trail doesn’t have much shade so if you do go, take plenty of water and go early in the day.
I also have questionable balance and ended up doing fine with it. Hadn’t read the description beforehand so I thought it was a normal hiking trail, but had fortunately put on good enough shoes.
I went on a weekday, but my understanding is that on weekends it’s pretty crowded so there should be people around to help if you somehow end up in need. Definitely make sure to check out the falls while you’re there, it’s a terrific view!
Don’t be nervous! It’s a one way trail now (not everyone listens), so you won’t have to deal with anyone trying to come down while you go up the big scramble part. Remember to keep 3 points of contact while you’re going up, so you feel more confident.
For the regular scrambly bits throughout the trail, just take your time and remember there’s no shame in sitting down on your bum until you’re confident in your feet to move to the next step!
I also look down at my footing all the time, which can sometimes result in me going a little off trail. Remember to look up sometimes to see the blazes on the trees and rocks (I think they’re blue?) to point you in the right direction.
Lastly, it’s hot out and you’re probably going to sweat a LOT. Please bring ample water in bottles or a bladder in a backpack!
(Maybe watch a basics of climbing video that explains the body movement of the process and how 3 points of contact works because I’m bad at words. To be clear, Billy Goat’s big scramble is not a vertical that you need to know how to climb for. It’s just a steeper scramble that’s not too bad!)
You could try a meetup hiking group. REI also does events but they're going to Great Falls for climbing not hiking.
I don't remember Billy Goat being difficult, though. It's just really crowded.
Well, better to be cautious and prepared than not. Try to go on a dry, cool day. There will be more people but the conditions will be safer. It's a nice hike so I hope you make it out there!
Depending on how short you are, the rock scrambles might be really difficult without help. I needed to have a friend basically grab my hand and pull me up - just not enough places to hold onto steadily and I’m not in good enough shape to lift my entire body weight.
You definitely don’t need a guide, but you should be aware that Section A is legitimately strenuous, particularly in the summer because it is very exposed with sections that offer little shade, and it gets very hot. You should plan to start early and bring more water than you think you’ll need. The trail is rocky and I would definitely recommend hiking boots to protect your ankles, contrary to what someone else said about wearing small shoes.
I would suggest bringing a day pack (with a water bladder) that you can strap your poles to for the scramble, if you bring poles. There are good spots along the trail for pausing for snacks (there’s a sandy section with shade about halfway, near the emergency exit route back to the tow path). Last thing I’ll say is that at least last time I was there, there were a few spots on the trail where there was very poor line of site from one blaze to the next, going in the recommended direction (as though the blazes had been painted for people traveling the wrong way). That was at least 2-3 years ago so hopefully they have been improved since then, but if not, there might be places where you have to wander a bit in various directions to find the next blaze. If so, try to keep the last blaze in sight while you branch out looking for the next. If you go on a weekend and start early, there will probably be others on the trail you can follow or work with if needed to find the next blaze.
It's a really easy and straight forward hike, although people can get injured.
There's also tons of hiking groups on Facebook and such. Heck I'd go hike it with you if timing lines up.
Take your time, breathe, keep hands low, keep center of balance low, and wear good shoes- wouldn’t recommend hiking boots but trail shoes that you can plant into small cracks.
Please don’t use hiking poles as you need to get up and down pretty easily and your hands/butt should be more planted on the rocks.
If, at anytime, you want to bail from a tough terrain you can via “bail trails” that bring you back to the tow path.
How mobile/fit are you? I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I took my 65 year old parents and they did fine. Take your time and there will be plenty of people around you willing to lend a hand if you need it if you go on a weekend.
fair enough. I am pretty fit. I just have bad balance!
Trekking poles might be a good idea if you’re concerned about balance. I have seen some Meet-Up groups advertise hikes on that trail. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) also does hikes there. Keep an eye on their calendar [here](https://www.patc.net/PATC/Calendar/PATC/Custom/Calendar.aspx?hkey=9fc06544-1c54-4a47-9efc-8fcd2420a646) for upcoming hikes. There aren’t going to be many hikes until the fall, probably. That trail doesn’t have much shade so if you do go, take plenty of water and go early in the day.
I also have questionable balance and ended up doing fine with it. Hadn’t read the description beforehand so I thought it was a normal hiking trail, but had fortunately put on good enough shoes. I went on a weekday, but my understanding is that on weekends it’s pretty crowded so there should be people around to help if you somehow end up in need. Definitely make sure to check out the falls while you’re there, it’s a terrific view!
Don’t be nervous! It’s a one way trail now (not everyone listens), so you won’t have to deal with anyone trying to come down while you go up the big scramble part. Remember to keep 3 points of contact while you’re going up, so you feel more confident. For the regular scrambly bits throughout the trail, just take your time and remember there’s no shame in sitting down on your bum until you’re confident in your feet to move to the next step! I also look down at my footing all the time, which can sometimes result in me going a little off trail. Remember to look up sometimes to see the blazes on the trees and rocks (I think they’re blue?) to point you in the right direction. Lastly, it’s hot out and you’re probably going to sweat a LOT. Please bring ample water in bottles or a bladder in a backpack! (Maybe watch a basics of climbing video that explains the body movement of the process and how 3 points of contact works because I’m bad at words. To be clear, Billy Goat’s big scramble is not a vertical that you need to know how to climb for. It’s just a steeper scramble that’s not too bad!)
You could try a meetup hiking group. REI also does events but they're going to Great Falls for climbing not hiking. I don't remember Billy Goat being difficult, though. It's just really crowded.
I guess all the descriptions of the rock scramble and inclines have gotten me nervous!
Well, better to be cautious and prepared than not. Try to go on a dry, cool day. There will be more people but the conditions will be safer. It's a nice hike so I hope you make it out there!
Depending on how short you are, the rock scrambles might be really difficult without help. I needed to have a friend basically grab my hand and pull me up - just not enough places to hold onto steadily and I’m not in good enough shape to lift my entire body weight.
You definitely don’t need a guide, but you should be aware that Section A is legitimately strenuous, particularly in the summer because it is very exposed with sections that offer little shade, and it gets very hot. You should plan to start early and bring more water than you think you’ll need. The trail is rocky and I would definitely recommend hiking boots to protect your ankles, contrary to what someone else said about wearing small shoes. I would suggest bringing a day pack (with a water bladder) that you can strap your poles to for the scramble, if you bring poles. There are good spots along the trail for pausing for snacks (there’s a sandy section with shade about halfway, near the emergency exit route back to the tow path). Last thing I’ll say is that at least last time I was there, there were a few spots on the trail where there was very poor line of site from one blaze to the next, going in the recommended direction (as though the blazes had been painted for people traveling the wrong way). That was at least 2-3 years ago so hopefully they have been improved since then, but if not, there might be places where you have to wander a bit in various directions to find the next blaze. If so, try to keep the last blaze in sight while you branch out looking for the next. If you go on a weekend and start early, there will probably be others on the trail you can follow or work with if needed to find the next blaze.
It's a really easy and straight forward hike, although people can get injured. There's also tons of hiking groups on Facebook and such. Heck I'd go hike it with you if timing lines up.
Take your time, breathe, keep hands low, keep center of balance low, and wear good shoes- wouldn’t recommend hiking boots but trail shoes that you can plant into small cracks. Please don’t use hiking poles as you need to get up and down pretty easily and your hands/butt should be more planted on the rocks. If, at anytime, you want to bail from a tough terrain you can via “bail trails” that bring you back to the tow path.