| Golden Gate Canyon State Park Area/Range |
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| Golden Gate Canyon State Park   | 
| Page Type: Area/Range Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.88351°N / 105.42946°W Activities: Hiking, Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Bouldering, Scrambling Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Elevation: 10540 ft / 3213 m | Page By: jfox Created/Edited: Nov 16, 2006 / Jun 23, 2008 Object ID: 244773 Hits: 2183 Loading... Page Score: 87.99% - 15 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
OverviewNestled within the foothills of Colorado's Front Range, and mostly sitting at an altitude of 9,000' above sea-level, Golden Gate Canyon State Park (GGCSP) is a very popular destination for hikers, climbers, campers, mountain bikers and nature lovers.
The park resides wholly within Gilpin County, northwest of Denver or about 18 miles west of Golden. The park offers miles upon miles of easy to difficult hiking trails, biking trails as well as equestrian trails. Fisherman also come to GGCSP for it is littered with many ponds, large and small.
Spectacular views of the Continental Divide can be had on the parks west side. From either Panorama Point or some of the west end hiking trails, one can see most of the Front Range and Indian Peaks from Pikes Peak all the way north to Longs Peak.
There are many picnic areas scattered throughout the park as well. The park is a popular place for day users and families to picnic and generally have a fun time all around.Getting ThereGolden Gate Canyon State Park lies ~20 miles west of downtown Golden, CO. There are many ways to get there.
From Golden: Turn west off of CO-93 on to Golden Gate Canyon Rd. Drive on this winding two lane road for 18 miles into Gilpin County. At the Gilpin County line, this road becomes CO-46. At the bottom of the hill, there is a turn for the first of three self serve fee areas as well as the visitor center on the right.
From the west: Take the exit off of Interstate 70 to US-6 towards Golden. Turn north on CO-119 to Blackhawk. Continue on CO-119 to CO-46 and turn east (right) and go 2 miles into the park. CO-46 runs right through the park.
From the north: Drive south on CO-119 from the Boulder area through Nederland and Rollinsville until you come to CO-46 and turn east (left). Follow the well marked signs.Red TapeDay use park fee is $6 (2008) and they are available at five different kiosks within the park as a self serve feature. The park opens at 5:00am MST and closes at 10:00pm MST.
CampingThere are several campgrounds within the park for nominal nightly fee's as well as any of the cabins and Yurts. Back-country camping is available as well for $7/night.Rock ClimbingRock climbing is allowed in the park. There are no set routes as far as I know on Tremont Mounain. Thorodin Mountain has 11 known routes so far. There are also routes on Ralston Roost and Son of Ralston. The Falcon Guide for Lyons Area No.23 has a section of the book detailing all the climbs within GGCSP to include Thorodin, Ralston Roost, and other area's.
The Ralston Roost area of the park provides easy access to some rock climbing areas on Tremont Mountain. There is good parking near Kriley Pond and this provides a really short (but steep) approach to the crag.
Photo's of the Ralston Roost rocks:
Route Table
| Climbing Area | Routes | Pitches | YDS |
| | | | |
| Promontory Ridge | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ralston Roost | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Tremont Mountain | 1 | 1 | 5.2 |
| Thorodin Mountain | 11 | 1 - 3 | 5.5 - 5.11c |
| The "Bear" | 2 | 1 | 4 |
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Topo Maps & Trail MapsTopo Maps:
Trail Maps:
HikingThere are literally dozens of great hiking trails throughout the park. Listed here are some of the better ones that I've done. Many of the trails link up and/or cross other trails within the park. In winter, Mountain Base Rd. is closed to vehicular traffic, but is turned into a great nordic/cross-country ski route as well as snowshoe route.
Racoon:
Moderate
Start: Reverend's Ridge
End: Reverend's Ridge via Panorama Point
Length: 2.5 miles
This is a scenic trail that heads west or east (loop) from Panorama Point. The trail winds down into a valley and traverses below Mt. Thorodin with views of the divide. There are some good clearings for rest stops and picnicing along the way. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. You can also branch off and head to the campgrounds from this trail.
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Horseshoe:
Moderate
Start: Frazer Meadow TH
End: Frazer Meadow
Length: 1.8 miles
This trail is a great and scenic hike, though uphill from the start. The trail heads up a ravine towards Frazer Meadows whereupon it opens up with gorgeous views of the surrounding foothills all around. Plenty of options for picnicing or back country camping. This is a good snowshoe trail in winter as well, as long as its already broken in for you! I've done it having had to break my own trail in thigh deep snow which was very exhausting, but the camping back here is very private and worth the effort.
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Mountain Lion:
Difficult
Start: Nott Creek
End: Nott Creek
Length: 6.7 miles
This excellent trail begins on the northeastern most side of the park from Nott Creek. The trail is mostly in the open and climbs from the parking lot for a few miles. Nice views of the surrounding foothills can be had here as well. The loop is very long but of course you can turn and reverse your course at any point. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow.
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Coyote:
Most Difficult
Start: Bootleg Bottom
End: Frazer Meadow
Length: 2.0 miles
This is a beautiful, though steep, trail. It crosses an open meadow from the parking lot where there is also a nice picnic area, then heads into an aspen grove before continuing up Tremont Mountain. The higher you hike, the better the views of the Continental Divide become. There is some scrambling involved nearer the top but I believe it can be avoided if you wish. There are some mining ruins along this trail as well and an old cabin.
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Buffalo:
Moderate
Start: Rifleman/Phillips Campground
End: Forgotten Valley
Length: 1.2 miles
Probably one of the most scenic trails in the whole park, Buffalo is well worth your time. The trail heads down hill for the most part towards an open valley with ponds and an old restored homestead and back country camping. You will be greeted with gorgeous open space, a babbling brook, wild flowers galore, fishing ponds and meadow grasses. This trail links up with many others in the area, or you can retrace your steps and head back to the R/P campground.
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Prominent Peaks Within the ParkMt. Thorodin
Thorodin & Tremont |
As part of the foothills of Colorado's Front Range, Mt. Thorodin is a small but attractive mountain none the less. It's sweeping west face confronts motorists travelling south on CO-119 from Nederland as they approach Blackhawk. The cliffs making up the west face of Thorodin are nearly 500' in height and offer several moderate to challenging rock climbs. Mt. Thorodin also includes an additional summit, Starr Peak. The entire mountain is comprised of the Idaho Springs Formation of 1.8 Billion year old gneiss that was uplifted during the Laramide orogeny, the mountain building event that created the Front Range of Colorado.
Thorodin |
The mountain lies within Golden Gate Canyon State Park's north west end. There are a few trails that head toward the summit, but mostly its a bushwhack up the forested hillside. The easiest appraoch is from Panorama Point along Gap Road by first taking the Raccoon trail. Take the 'Raccoon' trail towards the mountain and at your leisure, break off the trail and head up until you either summit, or come to the base of the cliffs.
The views from the top are second to none. Nearly the entire Front Range can be seen from Longs Peak all the way down to Pikes Peak. The entire Indian Peaks Wilderness can be seen as well. Other Colorado 14ers visible are Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Evans.
Tremont Mountain
Atop Tremont's Ridge. |
Tremont Mountain, which is more or less a ridge with several rocky peaks jutting out of the trees with short vertical cliffs, is the only other major peak in the park. The Ralston Roost area is the southern extent of Tremont Mountain's rocky ridge. There is some good, moderate rock climbing and bouldering atop the ridge and it is a scramblers paradise as you can enchain the entire ridge in an exhausting single push of mostly 4th class to low 5th class climbing.
On the ridge looking north. |
External LinksGolden Gate Canyon State Park
Mt. Thorodin Rock Routes Images
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