Our visit to Alaska Lake by Alaska Mountain allowed us to see the Gold Creek Valley for the first time. It was also a great place to seek solitude. But best of all, we got a much-needed break after days of rain.
See more trip photos here.
Alaska Lake at a Glance
Access: Gold Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 12.5 miles
Elevation Range: 2600′-4230′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Gold Pond
Apart from the beautiful weather, the snow condition today was also excellent. So I decided to check out Alaska Lake near the head of the long Gold Creek Valley.
I parked at the Gold Creek Trailhead by the lovely Gold Pond. Then we walked up the road by the cabins through snow patches. Later more snow showed up at the starting of the trail.
See more trip photos here.
Gold Creek Valley
We weaved around the trees on parts of the trail free of snow. So snowshoes stayed on my pack. Views were minimal in the forest. But later, the landscape expanded as we went out into the meadow.
To the west, massive down trees came off the eastern slope of Point 5441. Then on the east, beautiful waterfalls plummeted from the west side of Alta Mountain.
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Alaska Lake with Views
With a consistent snowpack, I kept the snowshoes on my back. But we were also able to scramble the rest of the way without sinking much. We arrived at the serene lake in another 1000′ elevation.
The lake was quite the gem. It was also very calm. I wondered how often people make their way up into this lake basin. But to me, it didn’t look like party spot without a beaten path.
See more trip photos here.