Gold Creek Pond is an ADA-accessible paved loop hike around a picturesque mountain pond atop Snoqualmie Pass. It is the perfect hike for small children, who can walk unassisted the whole route, for parents pushing strollers and for people in wheelchairs. It's also a good leg stretcher for folks who have been driving a long time and need a break.

It's hard to believe, but in the 1970s and early 1980s this was a gravel pit created and used for building I-90. Since then, agencies have worked together to reclaim the area. It's hard to believe that this serene place was once a huge hole with heavy equipment teaming about. But there are still a few signs that the Forest Service is actively reclaiming the area - the all too flat beach at the south end of the pond, the hay along the first part of the counter-clockwise loop, dandelions.

But back to the hike - and the pond. Going counter-clockwise, the first part goes through willow and wildflowers along a creek to the junction with the Gold Creek trail. Keeping to the loop, hikers will soon leave the pavement and begin on a well-maintained boardwalk. This takes you above a marshy area until you cross over the creek at the north end of the pond.

The views open up here as you look across the pond to the south. The pond (which looks more like a lake) beckons. It is crystal clear, blue and very deep. You don't need to scramble down to its banks, because a paved spur trail leads hikers down to it. Kids will enjoy throwing rocks in the water and exploring.

After enjoying the pond, head back to the trail where in a short way you will end at a picnic ground. Numerous picnic tables are on this beach, though in mid-summer none are in the shade. While picnicking, enjoy the view into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness looking north - it's a stunner.