Gold Mountain Road

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Views · Wildflowers

Gold Creek parking lot requires a discovery pass and there's a vault toilet down there.

Can be loose rock. Apparently you get get over to the Davis Trail area and perhaps Ueland tree farm from one of these spurs, but haven't checked that out.

On a clear day, fabulous views, alternatingly - to Rainier and south Hood canal, with the Olympics to the west, and pickaboo views of Green Mtn area. Fairly steady but not steep climb.

Take the Tin Mine trail from the Gold Creek parking lot. At the top of the 1st clear-cut Tin Mine heads left; instead, run on the gravel road to the right. There are a lot of old dead-end logging spurs; some have slight views. I've marked the main route to stay on. Due to past clear-cuts there are a lot of nice views - to the S, W, and occasionally to the N. Take water, it gets warm up there on a sunny day.

The road continues beyond where I've marked ... but since it goes to another off-limits radio tower with no view we never go there. Up on top you look out to the west to nearly the full range of the Olympics so this is a favorite spring, fall, or winter hike to contemplate sky and mountains while you lunch!

We occasionally see others up here, but usually not. From the Gold Creek parking lot it is 3.1 miles to the first good picnic spot, as well as another 1/2 mile more.

We've noticed lots of little alpine-type plants along the road, especially at the S facing 1st clearcut section.