Hiking & Biking are Year-Round Pursuits in Golden
Summer is over with snow falling in the high mountains of Colorado, but down in the foothills, Golden, Colorado offers year-round opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and even outdoor dining. Relatively little snow and abundant sunshine mean you don’t have to ever put away the hiking boots or bikes! Four of the most popular fall and winter trails are:
NORTH TABLE MOUNTAIN AND MOUNT LICHEN
One of the chief landmarks of Golden is this broad, flat-topped mesa that rises hundreds of feet above the valley and is ringed by cliffs. It is circled by a 5.9-mile bike or hiking trail, while other trails crisscross the butte. A hiking only trail on top of the butte leads to the high point, Mount Lichen. Due to the lack of trees on the butte, this area can usually be enjoyed year-round. A large free parking area on Colorado Hwy. 93 just north of town has maps showing trails heading off clockwise, or counterclockwise around the mountain. It’s a mixed use trail with some steep climbs and single-track sections for bikers. On top, look for herds of deer or visit an abandoned quarry.
With nine miles of trails, this sprawling Jefferson County park located just south of Golden on State Highway 93, butts up to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which also offers a series of connecting trails. Some shady patches of the trail can be muddy in spots in fall and winter, but because they are open rolling hills with limited trees, the trails are generally dry. A particularly beautiful stretch is the 2.8 mile Red Rocks Trail, which climbs up some mild switchbacks, offering spectacular views of towering red rock formations as you approach Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
South Table Mountain is a high, tree-less volcanic butte with a series of “hiking only” trails offering mostly dry year-round hiking conditions, with spectacular views from the top. This is where the first fossilized bones of a T-rex dinosaur were discovered. It’s difficult to imagine, but this entire area was once a marsh of palm trees teeming with dinosaurs on the edge of a great inland sea. It certainly doesn’t look like that today. While you’re on top, you have a fascinating view of downtown Golden.
You can stretch your legs year-round on this paved trail that offers a riverside stroll or bike ride up into Clear Creek Canyon or down to Denver. Selected by Westword as the best hiking trail on the Front Range, the path is open for everything from skateboarding to cycling. The mostly level recreational trail stretches in one direction from downtown Golden to the South Platte River in Denver, 19 miles away. Or head the other way 1.5 miles into the towering rocks of Clear Creek Canyon. Some exciting news: work progresses on continuing the Peaks to Plains Trail down Clear Creek Canyon, which will one day stretch all the way from Idaho Springs to Golden. Already, an exciting new four mile paved stretch has opened in the canyon at the Mayhem Gulch Trailhead, 12 miles west of Golden on Hwy. 6. A new 1.75 stretch from Golden into the canyon will open in 2020.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Check the Jeffco Open Space Trail Closures webpage before you go on any trail, as seasonal closures due to mud and trail sensitivity may be in effect. And remember to always stay on the trails, even if they're muddy.
OUTDOOR DINING AND DRINKING
Golden’s restaurants never put away the outdoor patio furniture! Abundant sunshine means that beer gardens and dining patios stay open year-round, making them the perfect place 
to stop after a hike or bike ride.
Downtown dog friendly beer gardens like Golden City Brewery and Mountain Toad often have outdoor fire pits. Cannonball Creek, Over Yonder, New Terrain and Coda breweries all have mountain views. Holliday Brewing is Colorado’s only gluten-free brewery, while Barrels & Bottles offers a mixture of tap beer and tap wine.
All of the breweries have food trucks, but if you want some choice dining, the Bridgewater Grill and Sassafras offering outdoor dining along Clear Creek, while the newly refurbished Buffalo Rose has a solarium, an outdoor plaza, skylights and live music on the weekends.
Pedestrian friendly downtown Golden also offers one-of-a-kind shopping, tap houses, BBQ, Thai, Chinese, Nepalese, Cajun, pizza, Mexican, Mediterranean, sandwiches made with buffalo and elk cold cuts, distilleries, and Native American art galleries, all in a historic Old West atmosphere.
It’s not rare to visit the ski resorts one day and head to Golden the next for hiking, biking or even golf. What a Golden lifestyle we have!
or Treating. Catch a ride behind a historic Denver & Rio Grande Steam Locomotive in vintage passenger cars hosted by conductors and engineers in full costume. Visit all of the special stops with your treat bags and tickle your funny bones, including the “not so spooky” Haunted Railcar and the Olde Railroaders Silly Graveyard. Enjoy local food, kettle corn, shaved ice and even get your face painted. Finally, get a great picture of your costume as you pose in front of their Pumpkin Patch cart. Admission: $20 adults, $10 children (2-15), $15 seniors. Museum members, children under 2, and active military personnel are free.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Miners Alley Playhouse
outdoor cafes and sculptures. But it is especially entertaining during the Golden Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, September 28th, when there are bargains and deals on every corner. Start at the 47-foot long “Welcome to Golden” arch and work your way up both sides of Washington Avenue and down the side streets for treasures ranging from backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing and kayaking gear at Vital Outdoors to natural skin care at Spinster Sisters Co. Stop for a treat at the hometown soda fountain at Golden Sweets and stock up on candy to bring home at Golden Goods. Browse new and gently used women’s fashion items at Truly BoHotique and the Clothes Mine, or find your Rocky Mountain self at Toad & Co. 
pm, the 
– Stroll the Clear Creek walking path or check out a bike from Golden's free 
day. 
’ to Colorado with a view of Clear Creek on an outdoor patio. Bridgewater Grill at The Golden Hotel has another patio with a creek view and an array of brunch dishes, or try the newly reopened Buffalo Rose, where you can dine under skylights, on a patio terrace, or indoors, often with the sounds of live music. 
A Scenic Drive on the Lariat Loop – The Lariat Loop Trail is a 40-mile route that was created in the 1920s to connect a variety of Denver Mountain Parks, including Buffalo Bill’s Grave, the Buffalo Lookout, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Evergreen Lake. It’s still as thrilling as ever, with mountain views, a herd of buffalo, and so much more. The Loop can begin and end in Golden, so you have opportunities for food and drinks coming and going.
Visit Golden Gate Canyon Park – Golden Gate Canyon has miles of trails for all abilities, as well as Panorama Point, arguably the best view of the mountains on the whole Front Range.
Clear Creek) and pedal off on a variety of fun routes. They even have kids’ bikes, as well as helmets and locks. 
Ride a Train – The 
Mountain overlooking Golden and the plains. Begin your day by traveling west on I-70 to exit 254 where you can see both the famous “Flying Saucer” house that was in Woody Allen’s movie “Sleeper,” and the herd of buffalo that is maintained here by the City of Denver. The buffalo have their own tunnel under I-70 so they can be in many places, but with luck you’ll see them up close at the new Buffalo Lookout at the Chief Hosa Exit. Interpretative signage tells all about the furry beasts. Then backtrack to follow signs to Buffalo Bill’s Grave & Museum. In the museum, there are exhibits on Buffalo Bill’s show with his many costumes and outfits, as well as guns from Annie Oakley and a headdress from Chief Sitting Bull. Kids love the spot where you can dress up like cowboys and cowgirls for selfies and you can check out a resource book to see if the well-traveled Buffalo Bill ever visited your hometown. Return to Golden for an outdoor café lunch by driving down the curving and twisting “Lariat Loop Trail.” It’s only four miles and steep, but drive slow and the views are beautiful – and there are guardrails on all the curves.
Golden straight from the job and in a short time you can be hiking, biking along a mountain stream, sipping a brew at a beer garden with mountain views, dining in a food hall with nine different food stations, or enjoying live music at some of the best clubs on the Front Range. 
HIKING: Golden sits in pretty Clear Creek Valley, surrounded by hiking opportunities. Lichen Peak, South Table Mountain and Lookout Mountain can all be climbed from town. Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Apex, the Mathew Winters trails and Mount Goliath are nearby and offer wonderful short hiking trails, many with gorgeous mountain views. Here’s a 
DINING: If you haven’t eaten in Golden recently, you haven’t eaten in Golden. There’s been a restaurant revival in this little historic town, with more restaurants on the way. 
BEER & DISCUSSIONS: Golden is the biggest little beer town in the world with seven craft breweries with beer gardens and Coors — the world’s largest brewery. What goes better with beer than discussions? Golden Beer Talks is a group that brings in fascinating speakers to mix with brews once a month on topics ranging from dating drought years and weather predicting through tree rings to Colorado’s nuclear history. Check out 
service bar; the jaw-dropping renovation of long time Golden classic 
Bike Apex Park & Devour at 
ardens, the world’s largest brewery, miles of biking trails, scenic river walks, museums, a world class nature center, historic farm homesteads, scenic mountain drives with enough drop-offs to thrill any visiting flatlanders, restaurants, food markets, live music, coffee shops and distilleries. So why spend time in a car when you can spend that time outdoors having fun?
There are two huge free RTD parking lots at Exit 259, so it’s the perfect place to stash the car, take off the bikes and head out onto the surrounding trails. Apex Trail is an iconic mountain bike ride, and the climb up Lookout Mountain is one of the most famous road bike rides in Colorado. Both are accessible from exit 259, as are trails throughout Mathew Winters and Red Rocks. Don’t have a bike? No worries. It’s a short drive to downtown Golden and the free 
coffee and bites at Launch