This is the third article in a new series that highlights some great family-friendly hikes around Seattle’s Eastside. All are free, have some sort of restroom facility, and have something interesting for kids. Many of these even have stroller and wheelchair options. Because toddlers will walk about 1-2 miles per hour, preschoolers will walk 2 to 3 miles per hour, and school kids will walk about 3 miles per hour, if a child has the endurance to play on a playground for a half an hour, they are ready for their first mile hike!
Up this week - PART 3 in the series, covering the popular Tiger Mountain trail system and an easy-access alpine lake. Also be sure to check out the last couple weeks, covering PART 2 - 3 Nature Hikes on the Eastside and PART 1 - 3 Easy Hikes in Redmond. Stay turned next week for two last family hikes - both "worth the drive"!
#7 Gold Creek Pond – Snoqualmie Pass, WA
Difficulty: Easy. It is about 1 mile of flat trail around Gold Creek Pond.
Fees: *Northwest Forest Recreation Pass Required* The trailhead is patrolled and there is no way to buy one on site. You can get a $5 daily e-pass here to print out at home and put on your dashboard.
Address: There isn't a great street address, but it is northeast of I-90’s exit 54. Look below for directions. Try this in a GPS or smartphone: 100 NF-9080, Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068. Map: http://binged.it/1HOlZ1b
Trail map: http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/2014/12/gold-creek-pond-winter-hike.html
Restrooms: There is a sani-can facility near the parking lot. Make sure to pack toilet paper (just in case) and hand sanitizer.
Stroller / wheelchair options: Yes. The entire loop is paved.
Why you want to go: The trail is flat and the scenery is incredible. The teal lake reflects nearby mountain peaks. The large lakeside field near the parking lot has about a dozen picnic tables, making this an inviting and beautiful hike for everyone.
Getting there:
Before you go, check out the Washington Trails Association's site https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/gold-creek-pond and check out the latest field reports to get an idea about conditions. The roads have snow in the winter and the lake may have bugs in the summer.
1. From I-90, take Hyak exit 54. From Seattle, take a left at the end of the off-ramp. http://binged.it/1vFnbNn
2. At the "Gold Creek Sno Park" sign, turn right and drive down the road.
3. In about a mile, you'll see a sign for "Gold Creek Pond" on Huckleberry Peak Road. The parking lot for Gold Creek Pond is up the road .3 miles. Either drive up to the parking lot or find a spot along the side of the main road to park.
4. From the parking lot, find the trail in the NW corner of the lot.
5. At the "Y" in the road take a left and take the paved trail around the lake.
#8 Tradition Lake – Issaquah, WA
Difficulty: Easy. It is about 1.4 miles of flat loop around Tradition Lake.
Fees: *Discover Pass Required* Make sure you have a Discover Pass. The busy trailhead is heavily patrolled and there is no way to buy one on site. While it's possible to buy a day pass online here for $11 (make sure to select year 2015 if you choose this option as it still defaults to 2014): http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov, it's totally worth the $30 for the annual pass. You can pick one up at the Duvall True Value, REI, or vendors on this list.
Address: There isn't a great street address, but this is an easy trailhead to find. From I-90, take exit 20. At the off-ramp, head south and then take a right on High Point Way.
Trail map: http://www.switchbacks.com/maps/PDFs/Tiger_Mountain.pdf
Restrooms: There is a sani-can facility near the parking lot. Make sure to pack toilet paper (just in case) and hand sanitizer.
Stroller / wheelchair options: Yes. The western part of the loop is flat, but because of the frequent rocks and tree roots, it is not great for strollers and impossible for wheelchairs. A second option is to look at the trail map and find the ADA part of the loop. Head out to the observation deck by the 4th interpretive sign, turn around, and come back. It would be about a mile that way and you wouldn't miss out on anything!
Why you want to go: This serene forest hike around a little lake is a wonderful sample of real Northwest hiking without any real Northwest hills. This 1.4 mile trail will let you know if your little one is getting ready to handle a 2 mile hike on their own. The numerous benches along the trail will provide lots of opportunities for breaks, snacks, and encouragement if they’re not quite there yet.
{Editor’s Note: There are many other hikes from this trailhead that kids will enjoy, like the Big Tree trail and the Swamp Trail with boardwalks and a fun story along the way}
Getting there: Note that the Highpoint Trailhead is very busy, especially on weekend mornings. This lot launches several bigger hikes on Tiger Mountain and when people can’t wait to hit the trails, this lot fills up. Because the 1.4 mile hike will likely only take 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on breaks, try this hike on a weekend afternoon, after some of the early birds have finished their morning hikes. If the lot does fill up, a backup plan could be to head back out to High Point Way and find street parking.
Looking for more ideas? Find even more FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIKES HERE
Growing up in King County, Jennifer attended Western Washington University and started working at Microsoft right out of college. For over a decade, she worked on online games with Microsoft Games Studios focusing on test automation. She left the exciting world of game development in 2010 to enter the even more exciting world of being a stay at home mom. Currently, she and her son love going on local adventures and spending time outdoors year round. Vist more on her blog: http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/
