First off, I love this spot. Easy to get to with beautiful views. There are plenty of benches and other areas to sit and just enjoy the scenery, plus several picnic tables.

The trail is paved with some boardwalks, though a few spots are in disrepair and might not be as accessible as they should be.

As others have said, the stretch of forest service road you briefly have to drive on is full of some of the biggest potholes I’ve seen. My Crosstrek was fine but a car with lower clearance might not be, though I did see some make it to the trailhead. Just drive very slowly!

There is a toilet at the trailhead, but it was not well stocked with toilet paper.

Fantastic views. The trail is actually blacktopped throughout and mostly flat with scattered benches. A large area with picnic tables by the pond is clean, and maybe two minutes walk from the parking lot (half full at noon and two on a Friday). We used bug spray and had no issues, plus we still got to see plenty of bees, butterflies, and dragonflies around the wildflowers.

We went to Gold Creek Pond for lunch at their picnic area yesterday. Such a beautiful summer day. Very serene. Just had a few annoying bugs during lunch, most likely attracted to the food.

This was our first visit to Gold Creek Pond, and I can’t believe it took so long. This is one of those easy hikes we’ve been hearing about repeatedly in eleven years of living in the Seattle area, and thought “oh, I’ll get there eventually.” But, trust me, go as soon as you can. It is highly underrated and you won’t be disappointed. Made it past the potholed forest road just fine in my small SUV. Arrived mid-morning today (Monday) to sunny blue skies, a mostly empty parking lot, vault toilet as squeaky clean as can be - and that’s saying something! We encountered a grand total of only six people on the trail the entire time. This is the ideal flat trail for little ones to grow their hiking legs. My kids (8, 6, and 2) were all fine but my 2 yo especially did the trail with no issues, and they were all entirely taken in with the views, turquoise blue waters, wildflowers, and all the delicious wild strawberries we encountered. No bugs, just a handful of brazen yellow jackets. (Thimbleberries will be ripening any day now!) We would love to come back and experience it in other seasons too. Go! You won’t regret it. 

Not the Gold Creek Pond of yesteryears.

Many a year Gold Creek Pond was a place for a little soul therapy and a lovely little walk around the pond.

Fast forward.  It's still a beautiful place of course, but the road is in is the worst condition I've ever seen, large potholes that cannot be avoided.  As I recall the pond is being decommissioned, though I'm surprised it's not been done yet, since it's been sorely neglected for so long. The boardwalk around the pond is minimally maintained, boarded up & patched where holes have developed. I expect this makes it a less wheelchair friendly, and in that same line of thought, the foilage is creeping in along the boardwalk, narrowing the accessibility of the path. 

Yesterday at the picnic area: Wedding photo staging, baby photo staging, and an exercise group working out right at the main viewpoint.  Lovely places for all of these pursuits, but others may be disappointed if going there expecting quiet reflection.

Farewell little pond, you are missed!