Seasonal closure of the Gold Creek Valley area goes into effect June 11
Contact Information: Deborah Kelly deborah.kelly@usda.gov
CLE ELUM, WA (June 10, 2025) –
A seasonal summer closure for Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project area, located east of Snoqualmie Pass, WA on the Cle Elum Ranger District, will go into effect on Wednesday, June 11. Work on this multi-year restoration project is just beginning. The public can anticipate an annual seasonal closure of the site generally between April and the end of November over the next take three to ten years.
The closure includes the popular Gold Creek Pond Day-use site and Forest Service Road #4832-142, and access to the Gold Creek Trail #1314 Trail. The Gold Creek Trail outside of the closure area will remain open. The plan this year, and in following years, is for the site to re-open in December for non-motorized winter recreation, if site conditions are safe to do so. When the project is complete, there will be a new ADA summer interpretive trail system that highlights the unique biodiversity of the Snoqualmie Pass region.
The Forest Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakama Nation, Kittitas Conservation Trust and other partners, are implementing this fish restoration project to improve instream and floodplain connections and restore groundwater hydrology in Gold Creek.
Restoration work will include the construction of engineered wood structures and side channels to enhance habitat quality and complexity for a genetically distinct population of bull trout, a fish on the Endangered Species List, and other salmonids. The project will also restore wetlands while keeping a viewing pond in place to restore the floodplain hydrology and reduce the extent and duration of dewatering in the Gold Creek channel.
Additional information on the Gold Creek Valley Project Documentation: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/projects/57415.
Yakima Basin Integrated Plan: https://yakimabasinintegratedplan.org/the-integrated-plan/
For more information contact the Cle Elum Ranger District at (509) 852-1100.
