Gold Creek Pond — Friday, Apr. 18, 2025

We went here for the first time with our two dogs to get a hike in before the trail closes for renovation work. The Forest Service road the last half mile in had some snow which was melting but the tire ruts were pretty deep so we parked off the paved road and walked in. Most of the vehicles we saw that made it to the trailhead were higher-clearance. The bathrooms and trash bins at the trailhead were locked and it was clear no one had been through to clean up the parking lot area yet.

The trail itself was easy to follow, with about 50/50 snow coverage on the west side of the pond and almost total snow coverage on the east side. The wooden walkways on the north and east side of the pond were in rough shape but the damaged spots weren't hard to avoid. The hike took a bit longer than expected due to the amount of snow, but it wasn't difficult. Hiking shoes are a must.