Attention trail crews: Please, pretty please, give some love to the Gold King Trail. It is such an awesomely sweet downhill singletrack that I completely forgave the blowdown and thousands of sticks I had to go around and over. On the map it looks like a painful descent with impossible switchbacks, but this is not at all the case. While there are several switchbacks and turns on the trail, they are mostly all built perfectly for a bike. The trail is downright sick for a ride down to the location where Clint Eastwood broke into romantic melody in Paint Your Wagon.
This route combines the Two Color Trail 1932 & Gold King Trail 1926. Starting with the good stuff, when you arrive at Two Color Lake (I would characterize it more as a pond), the fun begins. You now get an alpine feel with great views of the high peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. You get to bomb down a reddish ridge before hopping up over a rise and then connecting with the awesomeness of the Gold King descent. The trail is unmarked and unrecognizable at the top, so pay close attention to the description below.
Rewind. As a means to an end, the Two Color trail is not that bad for a two-track ATV climb. Even though the maps and Forest Service website indicate this is a singletrack trail, it definitely is not. It is a well-used ATV trail that is often dusty and rutted. At one point there is a sign for "no motorized travel beyond this point," which this is blatantly disregarded as the ATVers climb all the way to Two Color Lake. According to the map, this ATV trail ventures away from the original Two Color Trail, but at one point a forest service wooden sign confirms it is the Two Color Trail. If an alternate singletrack exists up there (shown going more south of the lake), I never found any sign of that trail on either end of it. Nevertheless, there is a clear path that you can ride right up to the lake.
There are not that many intersections on this route to confuse you. It is a pretty straightforward climb up to the lake and then over over to Gold King. On the Gold King trail, I did encounter a few places where game trails or older trails were confusing, but sticking with the biggest trail worked out fine. Mostly what is needed is some chainsaw work and stick moving. Some of the blowdown is very big, so a big saw is needed.
It is worth noting that it is possible (albeit maybe not legal) to drive up to the Gold King Trail. This would be a very rough ride and not really much more than an ATV track near the top. A rig was seen parked at Two Color Lake, so we know it can be done.
Trailhead
Look for the sign for the trail and turn East off of Road 67 near Tamarack Campground and travel 3 miles to the trailhead. The road follows Eagle Creek, which is Road 7750 then stay straight onto 025 when 7750 takes a right. You can park anywhere along this road and start riding as it eventually meets the trailhead at a hairpin bend in the road. Most trucks and SUVs can make it to the trailhead though.
Trail Notes
- 0.0mi The trail climbs through white crushed granite and rock and and up the ridge near Two Color Creek.
- 2.7 The trail encounters a sign signaling no motorized traffic beyond this point. Continue straight along the ATV tracks.
- 3.2 A junction with another ATV track that heads off to the right, in the direction of the old trail on the map. Stay left as the ATV track takes a shortish steep climb up to the top of the ridge, which is a more direct route to the lake.
- 3.9 Here the trails emerges into a meadow and climbs toward the peak in the peak in the distance. There is also a sign here confirming you are on the Two Color Trail.
- 5.2 Arrive at Two Color Lake. Begin descending down the ATV track/road along the ridge.
- 7.0 Beginning of Gold King Trail. Right after a short steep climb there will be an intersection with an ATV track to the left (see picture below). There are no markings or visible trail here. You basically follow the wash down the mountain, staying somewhat to the left of the draw. A few hundred feet down you should be able to find a feint trail. There is also a placard near the trail as a memorial to a airplane crash in the late 60s. The trail becomes more apparent a bit further down.
- 9.8 End of singletrack as it becomes an ATV two-track then a road.
- 10.9 Arrive at East Eagle Creek Road. The are several parking and camping areas here and the site for some of the filming of Paint Your Wagon. You could complete the loop by heading down Eagle Creek road and take a right on Road 77 to follow Eagle Creek up to Tamarack Campground and then up to the trailhead. This is 13 miles of easy gravel road but currently Road 77 is closed for reconstruction from flood damage. It should be open for the 2013 season.