Gold Creek - Devils Slide — Thursday, May. 22, 2014

Central Washington > Yakima

The Gold Creek Trail isn't fabulous in and of itself, as the trail is intersected by a host of jeep roads and the Little Bald Mountain Road as it winds up onto Manastash Ridge. It can be confusing to know where to proceed once the trail ends in a cult-a-sac of jeep roads and a wide open space. However, right now the trail is decorated with tons of little wildflowers erupting from out of the melting snow... Glacier Lilies, Spring Beauties, Shooting Stars, etc. And there are two highlights which make this trail entirely worthwhile. The main highlight of the route, of course, is Devil's Slide and the magnificent views from the length of it's ridgeline. It is impressive!! At approximately 5700ft. the view of Mount Rainier through the southern end of the massive slide and cliffs is remarkable. Looking down a gazillion feet, I counted numerous mountain goats over the course of my visit. They were scrambling down the rocky slopes, walking along the carved edges of rock wall, or perched atop the cliffs before ducking for cover once I emerged. The first time hiker, unaware of the slide, would have little indication of its existence, as there are no obvious trails that lead in its direction. About a mile from the trailhead, there is a relatively steep slope of sagebrush left of the trail which tops out at the rim of Devil's Slide. Bushwack through the sagebrush and find a maze of game trails near the top. There is a rocky high point near the southern end of the slide which is a perfect vantage point for counting goats and taking photos. Follow the ridge to the north, taking care to avoid dangerous areas of erosion, for a number of other wonderful viewpoints. The geology is fascinating and the views are breathtaking, especially on a 60+ degree day with clear skies, sunshine and calm breezes. Bushwack your way back to the trail below and continue to the northeast. I hit snow shortly thereafter, yet was able to navigate my way via orange diamonds and an occasional visual of the trail in meltout areas. On my journey, I had the added delight of seeing my second ever pine martin! His little cat-like face stopped to size me up, while I was astonished to see him. Curiously, the only two pine martins I've met in the wild happened within two months of each other. I saw one of these elusive critters near Darland Mountain several weeks ago. We haven't kept in touch. With all the lingering snow, a hiker new to the trail might lose his way. Once the snow melts, he'll follow the trail/road to a wide open space with roads leading in a couple different directions. For another terrific view, I ventured toward the open area to the north and slightly west of the giant snowfield (there again, once the snow melts one would take the road which travels left). I trapsed through the trees for views of a big basin highlighted by the backdrop of the Stuart Range! What a great lunch counter! Retrace your route and you've only gone about 5 miles for the day... with pretty amazing rewards topping out at 6000ft. Special Note: I scouted this trail on Wednesday, May 21st and this report reflects my solo trip. I ventured back on Thursday, May 22nd with a group of Cascadian Pokies. The group did not continue on through the snow to the second vantage point of the Stuart Range. However, we counted far more goats on day 2 than I counted on my solo trip the previous day.