NEAR SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — The U.S. Forest Service has announced a significant development for Gold Creek Pond, near Snoqualmie Pass. This popular hiking trail and outdoor destination along I-90 will be closed for up to ten years starting in 2025.
The closure is part of a comprehensive restoration project to restore and preserve the area’s natural beauty and biodiversity.
This project is a long time coming as it has been in the works since 2012, according to Patty Garva-Darda, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service and the team leader for Gold Creek Pond’s restoration project. She tells KIRO 7, “Our goal would be to get it done absolutely as fast as possible and open it up whenever we feel it is safe for people to be there.”
According to Garvey-Darda, while this project could take up to ten years to complete, she says, “the NEPA document said it will take 5-7 years,” but when it comes to the certainty of the timing, “the truth is we really don’t know.”
Funding for this project will have a big impact on the timing. If funding is provided and implemented quickly, this will help the project stay on track, and even opens up the possibility of it wrapping up sooner. Garvey-Darda says, “Right now, it looks really good we’ll get the funding we need.”
KIRO 7 is learning that the area will be closed to the public next Spring or Summer.
“That’s when construction is happening,” but Garvey-Darda says should there be a year where there is no funding, thus, no construction, “then a district ranger will decide to open it up.”
A district ranger will also be left to determine whether or not Gold Creek Pond is safe for visitors to return to during Winter months when construction is put on hold. Rest assured; your safety is our top priority during this process.
While this restoration project has many layers throughout the area, significant changes visitors can expect upon completion include:
- “State-of-the-art ADA accessibility”
- Better-viewing areas
- Enhanced natural landscapes
- More opportunities to view growing habitats without disturbing the area
This project will also greatly enhance the pond, with multiple projects that will help restore local bull trout and salmon populations.
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