We wanted some easy, scenic hiking on this relatively warm and sunny Thursday. My folks are visiting from Arizona and didn’t pack any hiking boots, so I knew we would have to keep it simple. We checked out the maps and guidebooks and made up a “Snoqualmie Rambler”, made a picnic lunch, and headed out.

Asahel Curtis Nature Trail: This lollipop loop of less than a mile is a signed interpretive trail, and you should find pamphlets in a box at the trailhead that will tell you what you’re seeing at various points along the trail. (Consider returning yours for the next visitor.) This is a great example of old-growth forest, with skyscraper trees and a trail of duff carpet. There are also several benches to sit and take in the sights and smells. Unfortunately, the sounds come mostly from the interstate traffic. I recall from hiking the Annette Lake trail last year that there is a newer bridge crossing Humpback Creek less than a quarter-mile up -- you may consider adding this short trip before or after the nature trail.

Gold Creek Pond: This trail is paved over it’s entire 1-mile length around Gold Creek Pond. We thought we saw signs of beetle infestation on the hillsides, but it must have been larches, at about 75% of their full autumn color. From the parking lot, follow the trail a short distance to a junction, and go left for a nice open area with plenty of picnic tables (some with grills), or right to loop around and get your exercise in first. Interpretive signs inform you that the pond was formerly a borrow pit which provided much of the sand and gravel that originally went into the roadbeds of I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass.

Franklin Falls/Wagon Road: We had done this two-mile trip with other family members in July -- what a difference a couple of dry months makes! Spots where our kids had swum up to their shoulders were now ankle-deep, and the falls, while still impressive, had only a fraction of its powerful roar and let in too much interstate noise. Both trails are in fine condition, but there are a couple of muddy spots on the Wagon Road trail.



We were pleasantly surprised to see several people out on a weekday to enjoy these “hikes”. An ice cream break in North Bend gave us strength for the drive home, made even longer by an accident near WA 18 and I-5 that had us doubling back and taking I-405. I’m not sure if we saved any time in the end, but it was better than sitting at a dead stop on a 4-lane road!