Explore the most popular trails near Gold River with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
I hiked up today because Kings Peak was not recommended (too icy). This trail was pretty nice, too. Great views of Kings Peak. It took me 2.5 hrs steady up to the "plateau" where I had my breakfast and then another 10 min to the top. Down around 1 h 20 min - I ran most of the shady part. It is a steep trail and only goes up. That's probably why it's considered 'hard'.
Not my first time hiking this trail and probably not my last. A good grind up took us about 2 hours to get to the top with a small detour (missed the turn up the hill). Enjoyed the forest on the way up and views at the top, was a beautiful day. Total moving time was just over 3 hours and about 4 hours for the entire hike
I would recommend this trail as a day for those that like incline. It took approx 3.75 hours to summit with a. Couple short breaks. The trail is well marked. Plan for a couple of hours to enjoy the summit and surrounding areas.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW. I did this hike solo on 09/01/2019 as a day hike. You can reach the starting point along highway 28. There is a small parking space at the beginning of the trail. It took me 4 hours to get to the top and another 3.25 hours to get back. I consider myself rather fit but this hike really squeezed a lot from me for one day. The trail is not marked but well worn for 3/4 of the way up top. At the 1/3 mark on trail there is a stream where you can replenish water and this is the only water source for the rest of the trail. 3/4 of the trail is mostly under the tree line and the trail does get narrow as it reaches the top. Close to the top you will come across a lake. Another 15-20 minutes from the lake you will reach a radio tower. In my opinion this is the best spot for views for this hike. Technically the "true peak" is still another 20-25 minutes away but the extra effort is not worth it. There is basically no single worn out trail from the radio tower and you just randomly travel in the direction of the high point. It's really not worth it. Essentials for the trail include, good hiking shoes as the trail is slippery at times on the loose dirt, lots of water and energy bars, bug spray for pesky mosquitoes and hopefully you enjoy the trail. I rated this trail 4/5 stars.
Views were incredibly rewarding for the scramble. I don’t know what was worse; the way up or down. Steep switchbacks, lots of bugs. Well worth it all for the views
first off the distance on the app is wildly inaccurate. it was about 6km to the lake. with a short hike to the top where the tower is it came to an even 15km round trip. I'd give 3 stars but the view at the top is easily worth the fourth. the hike is a tough grind up endless switchbacks mostly through the forest until the very last portion where there is a view. The hike up is rather uninteresting and not very technical, just steep. some nice spots with a stream running that you cross. The view from the top is stunning and there are a couple small meltwater lakes at the top that are perfect for a dip (feet or swim). Don't think I'll do this one again. The juice wasn't quite worth the squeeze with the unimpressive grind up and down.
My boyfriend and I did this hike today. It isn’t snow free yet (at the summit) but packed enough that we were able to walk around easily at the top to take in the amazing views. I found it pretty tough, it was steep and the bugs were bad in some sections but the view at the top is incredible. It looks like there’s a small lake at the top but it’s only just beginning to thaw. Going down was hard, it’s quite dry and we slipped a few times on the loose rocks. Glad I had my hiking poles with me which we don’t usually take.
Fun hike with a rewarding view.
Got about 3/4 of the way up before snow became a problem. Great trail, pretty steep but without a pack doable in 6 hours or less. Another month and it could be snow free
A beautiful trail !! ;) The trail is super beautiful and easy to follow. We did not need to use our snowshoes however after 3km, it starts to have snow (A little less than 1 foot). We had a total of 10km on my watch and 1250m d +, with a really slow pace and a lunch on the top that took us 5h30.
Started this hike around 3:30pm Saturday December 1st. Hike two hours in and 45 Minutes more in the dark, before I found a flat spot to set up camp. From base to camp (half way) it was a steep pitch incline, however tolerable. I continued hiking around 9:30 am to the summit, at this point it was getting really steep and the path was getting narrow, I decided to ditch my pack an hour in and hike the rest with just my camera and water bottle. I made it to the summit by 11:10. Took a few photos and videos. Then proceeded my way down. Made it back to my car at 2:00pm. On the way down I found it more difficult, really steep so kept wanting to slip, no foot tracking as it did snow over the night. I did this hike alone. It was a good hike but requires lots of energy and endurance.
BEAUTIFUL hike!! Steeper than I expected but the views and scenery were well worth it. Took us about 3.5hrs up, with lots of breaks.
Great views at the top!!!
A friend and myself started this Hike at about 3 o’clock, the sun went down at about 8 o’clock, we got down at about 9 o’clock. It was a very fun hike but it was harder than I expected when reading a couple of websites. This is a dog friendly hike and a hike I will definitely do again.
This was my first hike ever. Since it's a hard hike, it took me longer than half of my group but the trail is well kept. The views are amazing (better than that)!!! We camped overnight and there are fantastic camp spots. Lake at top was warm. The creek at the beginning was icy! Nice on the way down to refresh yourself. There were A LOT of bugs and insects right from the get go, be prepared.
The trail up is steep and pretty boring. But, once you hit the ridge, it's gorgeous and worth the climb! Lots of tent or hammock spots along the ridge.
