Trip Report
Beginner Snowshoe - Gold Creek Basin (winter)
Night time is the right time to enjoy great views and solitude at Gold Creek Pond!
Gabrielle Orsi
- Mon, Mar 18, 2019
- Beginner Snowshoe - Gold Creek Basin
- Gold Creek Basin
- Snowshoeing
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The path that leads to the pond and then circles it is very well beaten - but if you stray from that beaten path without snowshoes you may find yourself postholing.
The snow was very firm, crusty, and icy. Traction devices were sufficient for most of our party - without any fresh, loose, soft snow, snowshoes were kind of overkill. You'll cross 2 snow-covered bridges - one of them is a bit tricky to navigate since the snow has shrunk to a narrow, but high, ribbon in the center of the bridge.
I've avoided visiting Gold Creek Pond for a few years since it has a reputation of being crowded. But when inspiration struck for a moonlight evening snowshoe trip, its open spaces beckoned... it turned out to be an ideal route for viewing the night sky. Distant noises from I-90 faded as we reached the pond.
This was a fun evening stroll around Gold Creek Pond under a nearly full moon. The night was surprisingly warm, around 39 degrees F., with clear skies. The moon was very bright and we spotted many twinkling stars. We used the Gaia iPhone app with a saved route to stay on track. There are a number of spur trails people have created in the snow that can throw you off, as we discovered...
Views from this route are incredible. We enjoyed having the place to ourselves on a Monday evening!
Signage was helpful initially... did not see other signs though!
