Another great family hike to do on Washington’s Snoqualmie Pass is Gold Creek Pond. The trail is a short mile loop, and most of the path winds along and encircles water. The area was once a gravel pit, loaded with construction — but now, it is home to birds, beavers and fish that swim around in a man-made pond. It’s a pretty sight, and when I showed up last week — close to dusk — there was a light dusting of snow on the ground and above, in the hills.
I walked a little past the pond onto the Gold Creek Trail, and wound up making my way past another pretty pond named Heli Pond. Originally, it was a Boy Scout project some years ago. A lot of hard work went into the planning, as there were signs, and even a wooden bridge built over a tinkling spring!
I only walked about a mile and a half past the Pond, but Gold Creek Trail continues for many more miles. This includes an off-branch route to Alaska Lake, which I plan to snowshoe to this winter, or check out next spring or late-summer when everything is green again.
All in all, the excursion is a great excuse to get outdoors. It is wheelchair friendly, as the mile-long path is paved, and upon arriving at the pond, picnic benches scatter the shore for family-friendly meals.
This hike was touted as the “Hike of the Week” on the Washington Trails Association website, as the fall colors are still relatively vibrant, and salmon are spawning in the stream that runs alongside the trail to the pond. When I was there the light was falling, and fish were hard to see, but when I got home, I Googled pictures of Gold Creek Pond Salmon Spawning. Click on the link to see what I found!
As you can see it is a great adventure to go on during the day, as there is a lot to see! Happy hiking!
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