Expect parking to be very difficult. The parking lot at Gold Creek Pond is closed for the winter. There were very few actual parking spots at the next trailhead closest to I-90 and towing was active. Most people were finding parking on the road paralleling I-90, Forest Road 4832, but it was icy and many cars were stuck or needed help. We parked on the other side of I-90 in the Hyak parking area and walked, and we were glad we did. There was a traffic jam of stuck and slipping cars trying to exit the road.

The loop around Gold Creek Pond was very crowded with snowshoers, hikers, and dogs. The trails were well packed with snow and if hikers stayed on the trail they were fine. The pond was nearly completely frozen over and was very pretty. It's a fun easy loop if you don't mind the hassle of parking and the crowds.

I messed up my shoulder a week ago so I'm just doing low-key adventures for now. This one actually ended up being a lot more impressive than I thought it would be... I guess sometimes things are popular for a reason. Really good scenery for really low effort on this one. 

There was snow and ice on the road. I'm attaching a picture of the trailhead and parking area (which is the side of the road, and I bet it's crowded and hard to park here on the weekend!) There isn't much room to turn around. I turned around in the middle of the road and my subaru was okay, but almost immediately after another car came through and tried the same thing and got stuck. They dug themselves out with a shovel and tried again further down the road and got stuck again. So, I'd say make sure you have the clearance and the confidence to deal with the snow! 

If you're just doing the Gold Creek Loop and stay strictly on trail you can do this right now with just boots or perhaps microspikes to avoid slipping. The trail is really packed down all around the pond. However, if you step off the trail at all without snowshoes, you'll post hole. Because I didn't want to have to carry anything, I just wore snowshoes the whole time. 

We did the pond loop first, and it actually wasn't all that crowded at 10am on a Wednesday. Later in the day there seemed to be a lot more people out there. The forecast was cloudy, but we actually got some lovely sunshine in the morning and it was simply gorgeous... Really stunning views, I was definitely impressed.

After doing the pond loop, we decided to walk up the road to Heli's Pond... we definitely needed snowshoes here, though there was a bit of a track from a cross country skier. There's one tree down across the road but easy to go around. Heli's Pond was really pretty! We weren't able to loop around it since the bridge was out and there was brush, but it was nice. We went maybe half a mile past Heli's pond until we cleared the trees and the views opened up... We turned around there as we were under steep slopes, and starting to navigate waist deep snow with rocks and gaps underneath. Everything up to our turn around point was pretty safe and straight forward, past that expect deep snow and avalanche conditions. We didn't see anyone past Gold Creek, which was sweet!

Gold Creek snowshoeing was fabulous last week (December 14 and 15). The trail was somewhat packed down on Tuesday but there was some fresh snow on Wednesday. 

This is an easy flat snowshoe trail that provides picturesque views of Gold Creek Pond. 

Going midweek is best as you avoid the weekend crowds. 

Snow and slush on the road, but plenty of vehicles at the trailhead. There is hard packed path, and I did the whole loop in just boots and microspikes. In some places there was a side path for snowshoes, and snowshoes would be a must for any trekking off the main loop. Gorgeous day with snow falling, lots of kids and dogs and people out enjoying it. I didn't encounter nearly as many people on the far side of the loop. Great short, flat, but still scenic hike! 

It's winter at Gold Creek Pond. This is one of my favorite times of year to visit...when there is snow, but the lake is not yet frozen. The summer parking lot is still open, but the road there is covered in snow, ice, and there are lots of potholes! There was one other truck in the lot when we got there at 9:40 AM, but the owner was on her way out. Our friend, in her jeep, made it and we started our walk. The trail is covered in crusty, icy snow. We wore microspikes. You could do without them, but it made for no slipping at all. We had the entire loop around the lake to ourselves! It was glorious! Definitely no snow shoes needed right now. 

But...

I'm begging you, if you are planning to head to Gold Creek Pond soon, please bring a garbage bag. The trash everywhere is out of control. It's sickening. I can't believe people think leaving their garbage out in nature is okay. I wish I had packed in a garbage bag to take a load out. I'll try to head back up soon to try to help!