Fun Outdoor Summer Activities in Golden, CO (For the Whole Family)
The owners of Golden Mountain Guides love living in Golden, CO. As Colorado natives and
Golden residents for over six years, they spend a lot of time playing and discovering fun things to do all year round. Summertime brings a plethora of activities, eliciting fun for the whole family! Here are eight fun, outdoor activities you and your whole family can try while in Golden!
1. Rock Climbing
Let's just get the shameless promotion out of the way first. Yes, we may be biased, but rock climbing is a great way to play in the outdoors and the whole family can participate! Just outside the city, Clear Creek Canyon offers a variety of rock climbing routes for all abilities, overlooking the river below as it runs through the curvy canyon cliffs. Inside the city limits, you can also climb at North Table Mountain. This crag overlooks the city and with a short, steep hike, you're under the cliffs ready to climb! Book a privately guided trip with Golden Mountain Guides.
2. Water Sports In Clear Creek (Kayaking, White Water Rafting, Tubing, SUPing)
Clear Creek spills through Golden and creates amazing views and offers a great place to stroll alongside on a cool summer evening. It also offers many different types of recreation like white water rafting, kayaking, tubing and SUPing. You can rent equipment, hire a guide or if you're a skilled athlete at the sport, you can don your own equipment and take to the river.
White Water Rafting: Mile-Hi Rafting
Kayaking/SUPing: Need to rent equipment or want to take lessons? Check out Golden River Sports.
Tubing: There are also many different outfitters in Golden that rental tubes to float down the river. Try Adventure West River Tube Rentals.
Notes: Clear Creek can be VERY dangerous. Always wear a personal floatation device and pay attention to city warnings/closures when the water level is too high or too fast. Tubing is not suitable for toddlers or infants. There are inherent risks when participating in any water sport.
3. Hiking
There are 100’s of trails within a 20 mile radius of Golden, many within walking distance from downtown Golden. Some of our favorite are:
-South Table “castle rock” Trail - This hike is heavily used but is worth the steep (but short) hike to the top, overlooking the whole city.
-North Table Rim Trail: This trail circumnavigates North Table Mountain and offers beautiful views of Golden and Denver in the distance with a lot of cool rock formations and wildflowers.
-Mayhem Gulch and Juniper Loop (Centennial Cone) - During the spring, this hike has many wildflowers. Mayhem Gulch circles around to Juniper Loop Trail (a 4.7 mile loop) total. On the back side of this loop, you can also connect to Centennial which is a 15 mile loop for hiking and mountain biking.
4. Festivals
Golden has so many fun festivals all year round. During the summer, don't miss these fun events:
-Buffalo Bill Days (complete with parade, live music, Buffalo Bill show, and more!)
-Chili Cook Off and Beer Festival (all your can eat chili and beer tastings!)
-Golden Farmer's Market (Saturdays from June to the first week in October)
5. Splash
Take the whole family to Golden's outdoor swimming pool complete with slide, splash zone and even a giant sandbox for even the littlest of family members! Website.
6. Biking
There are plenty of places for all types of bikers. Mountain bikers will find many trails exclusively for them (Apex Park) and road bikers have a great selection of challenging roadways to bike (Lookout Mountain). For the more leisurely biker, you can rent bikes at the Golden Bike Library and cruise through town, beside Clear Creek or maybe make your own biking tour of the local breweries and restaurants.