The western approach begins at the Gold Creek Trailhead.ġ) From Highway 3, take exit 41 onto Chico Way. Getting ThereThere are two approaches for the Gold Mountain summit, and both approaches eventually use the main road leading up Gold Mountain to the summit. For more information regarding the Discover Pass, please visit the official website. Failure to have a Discover Pass visible within a parked vehicle at these locations can result in a substantial fine. However, these same officials have not been willing to give that same answer in writing/print, and until/unless any of them provide permission in writing/print accessing the mountain summit cannot be considered officially safe for public access.Īny people attempting to summit Gold Mountain do so at their own risk.īeginning during 2011, parking areas and trailheads within this area (such as Gold Creek Trailhead, various Green Mountain parking areas and trailheads) now require a Discover Pass to be in each vehicle during the visit. Multiple county and city officials have assured me, both in-person and via telephone conversations, that hikers following the Gold Mountain main road to the summit will not be arrested or fined if those hikers remain on the summit route and do not enter any adjoining forests (Bremerton Watershed), gated (or chained/roped-off) side-roads, or fenced areas.
The Bremerton Watershed is frequently patrolled by authorities, and arrests and prosecutions are very likely for anyone caught on the watershed land. As already mentioned, the Bremerton Watershed is a "closed watershed", which means no visitors are allowed on the watershed land. There is plenty of red tape for Gold Mountain, and it all revolves around the Bremerton Watershed.
A gold mine operated on the mountain slopes in the 1890s, but was soon abandoned during the onset of the Alaska Gold Rush. Gold Mountain was named after gold mining that occurred at the mountain in the late 1800s. Most recent logging on the mountain has been done by a company called "Pope Resources". While the Bremerton Watershed remains densely forested, the DNR sections of the mountain have been heavily logged. Conversely, most of the western and northern sides of the mountain are DNR (Department of Natural Resources) land. Most of the eastern and southern sides of Gold Mountain are within the Bremerton Watershed.
However, historically, Kitsap County and City of Bremerton officials have tended to not punish hikers and mountain bikers who have remained on the main summit road/route without deviations. The Bremerton Watershed is considered a "closed watershed", meaning no public access is allowed because no filtration plant is being used for the watershed area. However, the road leading to the summit briefly skirts into Bremerton Watershed boundaries in several sections, and the watershed is currently controlled by the Bremerton Utility District. Hikers and mountain bikers regularly visit Gold Mountain, many of whom reach the summit. In fact, the ability to summit Gold Mountain almost seems like Kitsap County's "dirty little secret".
However, despite its significance to both Kitsap County residents and county highpointers, reaching the summit of Gold Mountain proves to be a controversial task.
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