Plan Your Visit to Golden, CO

Located in an area of spectacular natural beauty, Golden is where the mountains meet the plains. The area offers outstanding outdoor recreation with biking, hiking and kayaking all available right in town. Golden also offers a wonderful, small mountain town atmosphere with creekside restaurants, outdoor cafes, fine dining, art galleries, outdoor recreation shops, one-of-a-kind boutiques, quaint historic homes, and a variety of museums. 

And then there is the beer.  Golden is home to the world’s largest single-site brewery, as well as to a half dozen craft breweries and distilleries.

FAQs

Here are a series of possible itineraries in Colorado’s first capital city.

• Enjoy the Arts in Golden at galleries, museums and nearby Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
• Walk or bike ride Golden’s Famous Beer Trail, from Coors to award-winning craft breweries.
• Re-live the Old West in Golden with Buffalo Bill, railroaders and mountaineers at the town’s museums.
• Go shopping in Golden under the famous arch at one-of-a-kind boutiques.
• Dine in Golden from the tastiest deli sandwiches and pizza, to gourmet meals in gorgeous locations.
• Hike the hills around Golden including North and South Table Mountain, Lookout Mountain and Mount Zion.

Golden is accessible by light rail from downtown Denver’s Union Station.  Trains run as often as every 15 minutes to the Jefferson County Government Center, where connecting bus service is available during the week for the short run to historic downtown Golden, Clear Creek, and Coors Brewery. On the weekends, complete your trip from the Government Center to downtown Golden using a car service or walking or biking on the paved, scenic 3-mile trail. 

Golden is also just a few minutes drive from I-70, and is located directly on U.S. Hwy 6.   Located just 12 miles west of Denver, Golden is a short, pretty drive from nearby major attractions including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Buffalo Bill’s Grave, the Colorado Railroad Museum and the casino gambling in Black Hawk and Central City.

Once in Golden, the free Bike Library provides a variety of two-wheel options, from cruisers to multi-speed mountain bikes.  There are 40 bikes available for free for two hours, with nominal fees for longer periods. (May-Oct)

Golden has never forgotten its Western roots and history.  Spanning main street is Golden’s famous 58-foot long Welcome Arch, which has been saying “Howdy Folks!” to visitors since 1949.   Golden was Colorado’s first capital city and today is filled with historic buildings, museums and events that bring the colorful era of the Old West back to life.

Here are some itineraries:

• Meet the West’s most famous scout and showman at Buffalo Bill’s Grave & Museum.
• Ride an authentic steam locomotive at the Colorado Railroad Museum.
• See the actual clothes worn by the first Americans to summit Mount Everest at the American Mountaineering Museum.
• Walk back in time on the 1.5 mile-long Triceratops Trail and see 100 million year old footprints of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
• Follow the history of beer brewing in Colorado on a free tour at the world’s largest brewery, Coors.

Golden loves families and is filled with activities for kids.

• Learn how to pan for gold and identify gems and minerals at the Mines Museum of Earth Science.
• Climb indoors at Earth Treks Golden, Colorado’s premier indoor rock climbing and bouldering gym with 300 roped routes up 45-foot high walls.
• Walk the level trail along Clear Creek, crossing bridges back and forth over the rushing river.
• Enjoy the parades during Buffalo Bill Days in July or the December Old Golden Christmas parades.
• Feed the chickens at an old 1880's riverside farm and homestead at the Golden History Park.

Golden is the closest “mountain town” to Denver, and as such it has developed into an outdoor recreation paradise with all Colorado forms of recreation available nearby.  Here are some suggested itineraries.

• Pedal up Lookout Mountain, perhaps the most iconic bicycle hill climb in the state, featured twice in the USA Pro Challenge with the world’s top cyclists.
• Snowshoe past old barns at a 19^th Century farmstead in Walker Ranch
• Hike or bike the five mile trail that circles North Table Mountain, and stop at New Terrain Brewing Co. (located right off the trail) for a victory beer.
• Kayak or raft down Clear Creek through a series of a dozen man-made water chutes.
• Horseback ride through stands of aspens at nearby Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
• Rock climb in Clear Creek Canyon, one of the best rock climbing centers on the Front Range.

Check out how some of Golden’s notable citizens and business owners describe their “Perfect Day in Golden.”

• Erik Weihenmayer, co-founder of No Barriers
• DeeAnn and Brett Weiber, owners of the Windy Saddle and Trailhead Taphouse
• Jon Bortles, owner of Woody's Wood-Fired Pizza

Resources on Golden

Be sure to visit our Creekside Golden Visitors Center filled with maps, brochures and suggestions on all things Golden! 
The Golden Bike Library is located right next door and open May – Oct.