Gold Hill (2)

Statistics

• Date - 12/25/1999
• Elevation - < 7,000'
• Route - Trail No. 3
• Miles - 6.0
• Elevation Gain - 1,900'
• ACME Mapper - Link
• CalTopo - Link
• Partners - Chuck Bauman, Payton (Dog)

Description

The trailhead for Gold Hill is located 4.8 miles up Bottle Bay Road just southeast of Sandpoint, Idaho.  Gold Hill is the knoll east of the Long Bridge as you are coming north into Sandpoint, Idaho.  Chuck and Kathy Bauman were up from Boise, Idaho, for Christmas, and I wanted to try and pay Chuck back for the great hikes he took me on when I visited him this past summer.  Although Gold Hill isn't anything to brag about, it was still a fun quick hike that let us work up an appetite for the turkey dinner that Kathy and Rebecca were preparing.  Payton needed to get out and blow off some steam too.

The first half of the trail had little to no snow, and then it gradually got deeper, especially around 3,000'.  No snowshoes were required, and we could tell by the boot prints that the trail was still being used moderately.  We made it to the top in 1 hour and 15 minutes and descended in 55 minutes.  We were fortunate that Sandpoint, Idaho, has been having cooler and clear weather.  Overall, the views were pretty good and I worked up a little sweat.

Photos

Chuck and Payton on the trail.

James and Payton higher up on the trail in the snow.

Chuck and Sandpoint, Idaho