Gold Hill
Photo: dknepper, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 5.9 mi
- round trip
- 1,547 ft
- climb
- 3,655 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Gold Hill is a hard hike in Idaho's Forest Service land, about 3 miles from Sandpoint. The route is an out-and-back of roughly 5.9 miles, with a one-way climb of about 1,547 feet from a low point of 2,109 feet to a high of 3,655 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Sandpoint show July and August highs around 82°F with only five or six wet days a month, while winter highs stay in the low to mid 30s. The trail is natural-surface and bikes are allowed, but it is not an accessible route. Pend d' Oreille Bay Trail is about 2.7 miles away, and Pend Oreille Lake Area offers lake fishing about 3.9 miles off. Springy Point campground sits about 4.5 miles away, and Mickinnick is a hike about 4.8 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Kootenai River Campground31 mi away
- Nordman Resort33 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Apr–Oct
Best time to visit Gold Hill
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
34° / 23°
15 wet
Feb
38° / 24°
13 wet
Mar
46° / 29°
14 wet
Apr
56° / 35°
12 wet
May
66° / 42°
11 wet
Jun
72° / 47°
10 wet
Jul
82° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
82° / 50°
5 wet
Sep
72° / 42°
7 wet
Oct
56° / 34°
11 wet
Nov
42° / 29°
14 wet
Dec
33° / 23°
15 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sandpoint Exp Stn, ID, 3.9 mi away at 2,126 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
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1.82-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 818 ft elevation gain
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Mickinnick
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MINERVA RIDGE
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11.46-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 4,639 ft gain and 6,151 ft max elevation.
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Mineral Point
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Pend d' Oreille Bay Trail
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Photo: waterarchives, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)SCHAFER PEAK
~21 min drive
1.04-mile out-and-back trail at Schafert Peak in Idaho with 518 ft gain
