Recreation

Recreation is a staple in Gold Bar.  The City of Gold Bar is the gateway to the Cascade Mountains!  Gold Bar is the perfect place to stay when you are planning your daily or extended recreation activities.

  • Gold Dust Days Heritage Festival: Pan for gold, shop local crafts and enjoy live music and great food every last full weekend in July.
  • Reiter Pit is a popular off-roading destination for dirt bike, ATV and Jeep enthusiasts.
  • Horseback riding
  • Hiking at Wallace Falls State Park
  • Fishing the Skykomish River – Big Eddy boat launch
  • Visit the Wallace River Salmon Hatchery
  • Whitewater rafting

Minutes away is the Town of Index.

  • Granite walls attract climbers worldwide!
  • Watch the kayakers and rafters at Boulder Drop (Class 5 Rapids!): Milepost 34 on Highway 2
  • Hole in the Wall: a 12-foot diameter drilled hole in the bottom of the cliff just west of town used by the UW physics department for gravity experiments.
  • Drive by the possibly haunted Bush House Inn, where Teddy Roosevelt once stayed.

Baring has a genuine country store, this local treasure is the post office, restaurant, newsstand, ice cream parlor, and grocery store all rolled into one.

  • The Bridge: From the store you can quickly reach one of the last one-lane wooden suspension bridges in Washington.
  • Barclay Creek Trail: Located right across from the store, this trail meanders along the course of Barclay Creek until it reaches Barclay Lake.

Skykomish is located in the heart of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forrest in the Alpine Lakes Region. The town Skykomish, an old railroad town, is known as the Capital of the area. You can explore old buildings, restaurants and hotels that are included in the historical registry.

  • Alpine Falls: Park at any turnoff on U.S. 2, about seven miles east of town. Walk south on a number of paths. The falls, which drop nearly 50 feet, are particularly impressive during spring runoff.
  • Deception Falls: Turn into the picnic area from U.S. 2, about 7.8 miles east of town. Follow the self-guided nature loop, or enjoy the 1/10th mile trail to the falls.
  • Stevens Pass Ski Area, a longtime favorite of Northwest skiers, is located 16 miles east of Skykomish.
  • Stevens Pass Ski area is home to the first downhill mountain biking area served by lifts in Washington State.