Seasonal closure of the Gold Creek Valley area now in effect

Cle Elum, Wash., May 5, 2026 – A seasonal summer closure for Gold Creek Valley area restoration work went into effect on May 4, 2026 and includes the popular Gold Creek Pond and Forest Service Road #4832-142. The closure is located east of Snoqualmie Pass, WA on the Cle Elum Ranger District and is part of a multi-year restoration effort.

The Forest Service will re-open the site on December 1, 2026, for non-motorized winter recreation. The project is located 1.5 miles east of Snoqualmie Pass, WA on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Cle Elum Ranger District.

Restoration work is anticipated to occur over the next three-to-ten-years. When the project is over, there will be a new ADA 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 as part of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.

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.

Closure Order and Map: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/alerts/gold-creek-area-closure

Additional information about the Gold Creek Valley Project: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/projects/archive/57415

For more information contact the Cle Elum Ranger District at (509) 852-1100.