Biggest Little Beer Town / COME TO LIFE GOLDEN: THE WORLD’S BIGGEST LITTLE BEER TOWN & MUCH MORE 1 AFTERNOON COLORADO Golden is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty just 12 miles from Denver. Lookout Mountain looms above Golden and its summit offers panoramic views in every direction. samplers to taste a variety of handmade brews. The town’s breweries — Golden City, Barrels & Bottles, Mountain Toad, Can-nonball Creek and New Terrain — don’t serve food, so you can bring your own food in or order from food trucks that park directly outside. Because there’s no kitchen, dogs are allowed on the patios and it’s a rare day when there aren’t a half dozen happy pups enjoying the Colorado sun at these outdoor beer gardens. South Table Mountain and its twin North Table Mountain are land-mark mesas rising above town. South Table Mountain is renowned for Castle Rock, an outcropping that offers commanding views of the surrounding area. You can access South Table Mountain several ways, but we suggest parking at the base of Golden Summit Trail and heading up the .6-mile trail. It’s very steep and you’ll gain 1,500 feet in elevation before you reach the top. You’ll need a reward for your efforts, and no visit would be complete without stopping into Golden’s highest-profile attrac-tion: Coors Brewery . You get to explore a room of giant copper kettles and then stop in the pack-aging room, where thousands of cans and bottles whirl by. After the tour, those 21 and over can sample three free glasses of beer. Then peek at the craft side of brewing by ordering a tray of EVENING Make plans to see at concert at (or just hike around) the 9,525-seat Red Rocks Amphitheatre (2) , just 10 minutes from Golden in Morrison. The venue was declared by Rolling Stone Magazine to be on the nation’s top bucket list for outdoor concerts. It is the only completely natural amphitheater on the planet. Downtown Golden is the perfect spot for a pre-and post-concert bite and beverage. MORNING It was at Lookout Mountain that the famous frontier scout and showman, Buffalo Bill Cody, was buried in 1917. Today, the Buffalo Bill Museum near the grave brings his incredible story back to life. The drive to the grave site on top of the mountain begins in historic downtown Golden on the Lariat Loop Scenic Byway . The Colorado Railroad Museum has a half-mile circle track — sort of a giant’s toy train set — on FROM TOP: CLEAR CREEK TRAIL, STAN OBERT; RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE, VISIT DENVER. which they run steam locomotives and the famous Galloping Goose, a 1928 Pierce-Arrow limousine put on train wheels with a bus welded to the back. And the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum is the first and only in the nation dedicated to mountaineering history. You can see the actual clothes worn by the first American to summit Mount Everest, then study the routes up the world’s highest peak on a 12-by-12-foot model. Explore the paved Clear Creek Trail (1) , which follows the creek from the mountains, through Golden for 20 miles to Denver. You can bike or hike along the creek, or float down it on a tube or kayak through an ingenious manmade whitewater course with rapids and gentle falls. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Denver (page 193), Golden (page 197), Lakewood (page 200), Morrison (page 202) 2 QUICK TIP The Golden Bike Library offers a unique and affordable way to get around town April to October on Thurs-days through Sundays. Visitors can check out a bike for two hours for free or, if they prefer, to use it all day. It’s just $10 a day, but being this close to the sights and sounds of this adorable town is worth much more. COLORADO.COM / 181
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2018: Page 181
