Gold Hill 4042 - ID Panhandle NF, ID

Overview: Short hike up to the summit of Gold Hill utilizing dirt bike paths.


Hike: While there is no official trail up to the summit of Gold Hill, several dirt bike paths make for a fairly easy hike to the top. The route posted is just one of the options, and there is another path that starts a little farther to the east, at the end of the road, which would have almost the same distance and gain.Starting from near the upper end of FS-2642, locate one of the paths leading from the summit. The path described here heads south from the road. It is narrow but distinct. After a short distance, the path splits, and taking the right fork is more direct as it heads steeply uphill. There is some vegetation to easily push through before the path connects to another wider path and turns to the right.

Continue following this path uphill as it winds west, then south again. As the path approaches the summit, the trees give way, and the summit has open views in nearly all directions. There is a large cairn at the highpoint. The views to the northeast of Lake Pend Oreille and the Cabinet Mountains are particularly impressive. After enjoying the expansive views, make your way back downhill to your starting point.

Note: Rather than driving the forest road up, this hike can also be combined with Gold Hill Trail #3 for a roughly 8.50-mile roundtrip hike.

2022-06-06 LindaAnn