Make sure to drive to the end of the road to get to the trailhead. There are multiple routes. The one that is just before Whistling Jack is the best.

The hike to Devil’s Slide was easy to follow and well worth the incredible view.

I walked the entire Gold Creek Trail but didn’t see anything as described for this hike after Devil’s Slide. There were so many ATVs that the noise and dust wasn’t really worth the second half.

Although the flowers were past their prime there was still a lot of purple aster and other flowers.

I had never hiked this trail, but I found it to be very enjoyable, especially with the wildflowers blooming.   The views from the numerous breaks in the trees were expansive, starting with a look at Mt Adams to the south before the clouds started to roll in. The Devil's slide was impressive from several viewpoints. I didn't find one specific side trail up to the bluff, but it was not difficult to make your way through the brush.  Further along, the trail disappears into a dirt road. Given time constraints I didn't go more than another 3/4 mile, but the walking was very pleasant.  I saw 4 other people during the 3 hours I was on the trail. 

Forest roads are rough but passable in all vehicles if careful. After the large meadow in full of jeep tracks the trail is nearly impossible to find. Might need to be re-marked. Will bring brush clearing for next trip.

Weekend #2 of exploring lesser known trails in the Naches Ranger District took us to the Gold Creek Trail #966. The trailhead is located at the end of Road 1705 which, while long, is one of the smoothest forest service roads I've ever had the pleasure of driving. 

From the TH, the trail climbs gently for about a mile until reaching Devil's Slide, an impressive row of cliffs that drop down to the Milk Creek drainage below. The trail never actually reaches the edge of the cliffs; when the forested slopes above the trail give way to sagebrush, a short off-trail scramble up to the ridgeline is required. Watch footing near the edge and enjoy great views of Mt. Rainier!

After reaching the end of the single track trail at about 1.2 miles, we continued uphill on a 4WD road, eventually turning right on the road that leads out to Bald Mountain. This last ~1 mile provides stunning views south toward Mt. Adams and the Goat Rocks, west toward Mt. Rainier and the peaks of the William O. Douglas Wilderness, and, as you approach Bald Mountain, north toward the Stuart Range. Skies were a little hazy today, but the Bald Mountain summit offers one of the most expansive views anywhere in the area. We hung out here for an hour or so, enjoying the views and wildflowers, and letting our one-year old get out some energy after being stuffed in the hiking pack for most of the day. 

Wildflowers were abundant. While they were past peak on the sunnier slopes, this route traverses an impressive array of different environments and the list of species we saw was quite long. Highlights included dense patches of lupine and larkspur in the sagebrush meadows, crimson columbine and tall bluebells on damp slopes, and bitterroot and scarlet gilia on dry rocky slopes.

Total distance from trailhead to Bald Mountain was about 7 miles RT with about 1000' of elevation gain. This trail permits motorbikes, but we saw zero vehicles of any kind on the access road or trail, and only 1 ATV and 1 motorbike near Bald Mountain. Overall, an incredibly peaceful location.

Ethan, Brenda, Jonah, & I headed up the Gold Creek Trail on this sunny, mild day.  We stopped along the way to climb up to the rim of Devil's Slide for its good view of Mt Rainier.  We then continued on to the top and the Bald Mtn Rd, turned right, and walked maybe 1/2 mile out the the wide open view over the headwaters of the Lefthand Fork of Rock Creek and out to Mt Adams, Mt Aix, Nelson Ridge, and Mt Rainier.  We stayed our usual hour or so and then headed back the way we had come.  The trail is quite rocky in places due to motorized use which makes for some hard walking (the minor obstacles).  There were wildflowers every step of the way.  The most predominant were larkspur, lupine, and groundsel along with quite a few blue forget-me-nots.  We also saw the uncommon dwarf and Nevada lewisias.  The dwarf lewisia was especially profuse.  We didn't see any wildlife except for some chipmunks and no other hikers, but a caravan of jeeps showed up at the trailhead shortly after we arrived and later drove up the 4-wheel drive road that shares the trail for a while.  We could see them in the distance climbing the hill, but they were so far ahead of us that they weren't a disturbance.  Some beautiful cirrus clouds drifted over on the way up.