Basic Snowshoe - Gold Creek Pond Loop

Trip

Basic Snowshoe - Gold Creek Pond Loop

Moonlight snowshoe. Enjoy an easy trip under a waxing moon. READ LEADER'S NOTES

  • Easy/Moderate, Easy
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 3.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 200 ft
  • High Point Elevation: 2,600 ft
  • Pace: Your summer hiking pace should be 1.5-2mph
  • Meeting place and time: Meet at 6:30pm at the Gold Creek trailhead.  (Sunset is a little after 4pm).
  • Washington Sno-Park Permit is required to park at Gold Creek. (Discover Pass, NW Forest Pass, national park pass aren't valid).
  • Driving directions from the WTA for the Gold Creek trailhead:  Drive Interstate 90 east to Exit 54, 2 miles east of the Snoqualmie Pass summit. Exit I-90, turn north, crossing under the freeway. A few hundred feet north of the highway interchange, turn right into Gold Creek Sno-Park, which follows Forest Road 4832 and drive east parallel to the freeway for 1 mile.   Park along Forest Road 4832 (Sno-Park permit required).
  • Weather: from NWS Weather forecast, from NWAC 
  • Road Conditions: WS DOT report for conditions at Snoqualmie Pass on I-90
  • Trip may be canceled due to: hazardous weather forecast, and/or I-90 driving conditions or road closures.
  • Usually, this trip DOES get canceled since winter weather at Snoqualmie Pass is often not favorable for seeing the moon!
  • We'll make this an easy loop around the Gold Creek pond - sometimes the moon doesn't rise quite high enough to be fully visible in the valley.  Except on Jan 10, the moon should be ~52º above the horizon and rise above Rampart Ridge to the east which is ~30º above the horizon.
  • Avalanche danger should not be a problem for this location.
  • A winterized vehicle is best for driving up to Snoqualmie Pass at this time of year.
  • Be sure to bring a headlamp for each person, a flashlight or two, and extra clothing layers.
  • Check out the night sky at: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/@5811008 and this online planetarium https://theskylive.com/planetarium#ra|18.937906405119143|dec|-21.616786702238397|fov|80
Route/Place

Gold Creek Basin



  • Green Trails Snoqualmie Pass Gateway No. 207S

    Green Trails Snoqualmie Pass No. 207

    USGS Chikamin Peak

    USGS Snoqualmie Pass
  • See full route/place details.
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Required Equipment

Required Equipment

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