Golden Gate Canyon State Park
State Park in Golden, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitor Center: Mon.-Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Campground Office: Closed for the season
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $12
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
92 Crawford Gulch Road
Golden, CO 80403
United States
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
State Park in Golden, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitor Center: Mon.-Sun., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Campground Office: Closed for the season
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $12
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
92 Crawford Gulch Road
Golden, CO 80403
United States
Navigate to:
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Welcome to Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers a variety of recreation opportunities within an hour’s drive of the Denver metro area. Over 35 miles of trails await the outdoor enthusiast, providing access to high mountain meadows, lush streamside corridors, rocky peaks and dense forest. Overnight accommodations range from tent and RV sites at the family-friendly Reverend’s Ridge Campground, to rustic backcountry sites with no amenities. Panorama Point Scenic Overlook offers spectacular views of over 100 miles of Colorado’s Continental Divide throughout the year.
12,119
acres
156
campsites
125
picnic sites
35
miles of trails
Directions
Accessing the Park
From Golden
Take Highway 93 north from Golden 1.5 miles to Golden Gate Canyon Road. Turn left and continue for 13 miles to the park.
There are multiple entrance routes to Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Nine self-pay kiosks are located throughout the park for your convenience. Passes and permits can also be purchased at the Visitor Center during business hours.
The Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Golden Gate Canyon Road (Highway 46) and Crawford Gulch Road.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
The parking lots at Kriley Overlook, Nott Creek and the Aspen Meadow Campground are the most horse-trailer-friendly parking areas. Please call if you will have multiple trailers in your group.
If you are planning on coming up to see the changing of the aspen leaves, please be aware that our park will reach capacity on weekends by 9/10 am. No parking is allowed on any of the roadways, you will get ticketed or towed, please only park in designated areas.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10-$12 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
Golden Gate State Park is home to a great number and variety of wildlife, providing the perfect place for wildlife watching and wildlife photography.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the resident and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- Steller's Jay
- Rosy Finch
- Blue Grouse
- Ptarmigan
Mammals You Might Find
- Moose
- Snowshoe
- Bobcat
- Long-tailed Weasel
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Geology at This Park
Golden Gate Canyon, located 16 miles northwest of Golden, spans 12,000 acres along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Positioned between plains and Front Range forest communities, the park is shaped by Ralston, Nott and Deer creeks flowing into Clear Creek.
Most of the park is covered by Precambrian rocks, mostly made of gneiss and quartz. Near Blue Mountain, the underlying rock and bedrock outcrops consist of Precambrian quartzite and twin spruce quartz monzonite. Near Centralia Mountain, bedrock outcrops consist of Precambrian quartz diorite, amphibolite and calc-silicate gneiss. Amphibolite and gneiss come from layers of sediment and volcanic ash.
Holocene and Pleistocene deposits were laid down by wind and creek flows. Colluvial deposits, which accumulate as rocks and sediment move downhill due to gravity, range in size from silt to large blocks of rock. Alluvial deposits, mostly from Piney Creek glaciation, contain significant amounts of gravel.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
- Subalpine Forest
- Lodgepole Pine
- Prairie Junegrass
- Kinnikinnick
Upcoming Events
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History
The area’s early inhabitants, around 12,000 to 7,500 years ago, were big-game hunters relying on mammoth and bison. As the climate changed about 7,500 to 900 years ago, they shifted to elk, deer, small game, and native nuts and berries. Tribal groups, including the Ute, Cheyenne, Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, and Arapaho, lived in the area beginning around 400 years ago.
In 1859, the gold rush attracted settlers, and families homesteaded in what is now Golden Gate Canyon State Park, growing crops and raising cattle. The 1842 Pre-Emption law allowed homesteaders to acquire 160 acres for $200, provided they improved the land. Access was limited; Gap Road was the only route until the 1960s.
Notable homesteaders include William Kriley, Tom and Gwenllean Belcher, William and Mary Ann Allgood, the Works family and William and Dorothy Harmsen. Their lands became part of the park. Some of the families’ cabins can be seen and enjoyed today, preserving the history of these early settlers.