Set between the stunning mountain ranges of the Purcells and Rocky Mountains, the mountain town of Golden, British Columbia has the perfect location for your next summer vacation. Whether you visit one of the nearby mountain parks or spend your day on the hill, you will have an adventure to remember.
The list of fun activities is endless, but here are our Top 10 Things To Do In Golden, BC in the spring, summer and fall. If you’re looking for winter activities, click here.
1. Mountain bike on the single-track trails of Moonraker and CBT
On the east slope of the Dogtooth Range, between Golden and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, is an awesome network of almost 100 km of single-track trails. Each trail offers a variety of climbs and descents ranging from tight switchbacks to meandering routes. Trails climb over natural benches, ride along canyon ridges and beside mountain lakes. There are plenty of black bears in the area in spring and fall so most riders make frequent calls that will alert the bears as well as other riders.
CBT Trail system, Golden, BC 
CBT Trail system, Golden, BC 
Moonraker trails, Golden, BC 
Black bear mom and cub, Golden, BC
2. Downhill mountain bike at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (KHMR) is a world class resort for biking in the summer and skiing in the winter. The bike trails at KHMR are a downhill mountain biker’s dream. There are over 50 km of trails with plenty of jumps, berms and drops for enthusiastic downhillers. The view from the top of the gondola of the Purcells and Selkirks is unbelievable in both summer and winter.
View of Colombia Valley from KHMR 
Mountain biking on KHMR
3. Hike or go on a Via Ferrata at KHMR
For those not interested in mountain biking, there are a few hikes accessible from the gondola. The trails follow high mountain ridges in the resort to give you the best panoramic views. There are also guided Via Ferrata routes at the resort.
4. See a grizzly bear up close
KHMR has a resident grizzly bear. Orphaned as a young cub, Boo lives on his own 20 acres plot in the middle of the resort’s terrain. Take guided visit to see Boo and learn more about how grizzlies live in the wild.
7. Off-road or bike to Gorman Lake
Set in a gorgeous tight cirque, cobalt coloured Gorman Lake is worth the effort to get there. On one side is a lovely open grassy meadow filled with alpine flowers, the other is a rugged moraine sweeping down to the lakeshore. You can walk around the lake to see it from all angles. The lake is also popular for fishing since the lake is stocked with trout.
A 17.2 km rough gravel road begins near the Golden Golf Club and ends at a parking lot almost 1000 m higher. You should take a high clearance 4WD vehicle as the road is very rough with numerous potholes and loose rocks.
Another option to get to Gorman is by bike. Maps.me suggests a bike route through Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre. We decided to use their route and it saved us at least 400 m elevation gain and 7 km on the road, but it’s still a long, hard ride. Biking up the last 9.6 km of gravel road was a tough grind, with over 660 m of elevation gain.
Once at the small parking lot, the hiking trail is easy and well marked. It begins on an open road, but then crosses a marsh using several boardwalks, climbs through the forest and then over a boulder field before arriving at the gorgeous lake.
There’s a small campground with 2 tent pads, a cooking area and an outhouse, but no food storage. If you leave your car overnight, bring chicken wire to wrap around your car to protect it from porcupines. They love to eat rubber from brake lines etc.
6. Hike to the top of Table Mountain
Near Golden is a short but steep hike up to the top of Table Mountain. This trail is only 5 km, but it scales an exhausting 1,230 m. The trail begins in the trees, but part way up, there are a couple of spots with great views of the Colombia Valley. The flat top lives up to its name as there is a large table plateau filled with a lovely meadow and views of the surrounding mountains. The actual summit is 100 m south, marked with a cairn, but it is an overhang so be very cautious near the edge.
7. Mountain bike on Mount 7
There are a lot of steep downhill mountain bike trails on Mount 7, but we prefer the single-track/ cross-country trail called Schacher (pronounced Shocker). It begins with a 4 km drive up Mount 7, but even with that head start you still have a quad-burning 670 m elevation to gain in the 11 km climb. The ups and downs of the trail make the gain even higher. The ride is mostly through a dense forest, but near the top the landscape opens allowing you to enjoy the view of the Colombia Valley far below. The trail ends at the main para/hang gliding launch pad where there are expansive views of the Dogtooth Range including Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, the Colombia Valley and the town of Golden. On the north side you can see Table Mountain and the Rocky Mountains.
Schacher is not a downhill run, but there are hundreds and hundreds of enjoyable switchbacks to make it a great ride both ways. If you’re missing the jumps there are a few sections where you have the option to jump off a natural feature. Don’t forget to check them out on the way up. If you prefer, take one of the black diamond downhill routes. These routes intersect with Schacher so be on the lookout for downhillers at the well-marked intersections.
If you’re not interested in biking, you can drive to the launch site on a gravel road.
Also on Mount 7 are the Mountain Shadows network of single track and downhill trails.
8. Visit a National Park
Golden is situated among six of the most beautiful national parks. With easy access, you can make a day trip by going for a hike in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, Kootenay or Mount Revelstoke National Parks. Some of our favourite day hikes are Hamilton Lake, Wapta Falls and Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park. Watch for an upcoming post with more information on these hikes.
9. Watch interesting clouds and fabulous sunsets and sunrises.
If you stay above town in the resort, you’ll have great views of the interesting clouds that often fill the Colombia Valley below. As well, the resort is a great place to watch the sunrises over the Rockies and their alpenglow during sunset.
10. Golf at the Golden Golf Club
A scenic golf course in the Colombia Valley, this 18-hole course has a classic layout with mountain views on every hole. The picture below looks toward Mount 7. It’s a community run course, and is surprisingly affordable for its stunning setting.
How to get to Golden
By car – Golden is very easy to access as its located at the intersection of the TransCanada Highway and Hwy 95. The drive is less than 3 hours from the Calgary International Airport, 2 ½ hours from Cranbrook’s airport and 4 hours from Kelowna’s airport.
By Bus – Rider Express offers daily bus service between Calgary and Vancouver, stopping in Golden. During the winter season Brewster Transportation offers a Calgary to Golden shuttle.
Where to stay
There are many choices for accommodation in Golden and on the hill ranging from budget and bed & breakfast to luxury homes. Staying in town means you’re closer to a large amount of excellent restaurants, but have to drive 10 km to the resort. Accommodation in the resort can be more expensive, but you’ll have quick access to bike or ski and there are a few good restaurants nearby.
Where to eat
For a small town there are a remarkable number of excellent restaurants in town and on the hill. A few of our favourites are Jita’s Café for coffee, Wolf’s Den for burgers, 1122 for intimate dining, Whitetooth Brewing Co. for a cold beer, The Golden Taps Pub for a casual meal and The Island for the best patio. On the hill there are also restaurants at the resort and in the community. At the top of the gondola, Canada’s highest restaurant, Eagle’s Eye , offers not only delicious meals, but an incredible view.
Wolf’s Den, Golden, BC 
Jita’s Cafe, Golden, BC 
1122, Golden, BC 
Island Restaurant, Golden BC 
The Golden Taps, Golden BC 
Whitetooth Brewing Co. Golden, BC 
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Village 
Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, KMHR
For more information on Golden visit Tourism Golden.
Coming Next: Seven Summits – Climbing Kilimanjaro
For extra pictures from Canada click here. For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
Monkey's Tale 
Too bad Canada won’t let me in right now!
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Ya, sorry, we aren’t very neighbourly right now. Keep Golden in mind though for next summer!
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What an interesting post! Those biking trails look fantastic!
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Thanks! The biking here is awesome. It’s a tough place to be staycationing in 🙂
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Haha, you are certainly spoilt for choice there!
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I’ve been to BC, but not to this region of it. It’s magnificent.
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Eastern BC has a lot of mountain activities and gorgeous views. Next time…
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Golden is always so much more then the town. We have been through this area many times and even spent a night there once, but always transiting to Vancouver. Thanks for showing us what we missed. Allan
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Next time you can stay for a couple of days! Summer or winter it’s a great spot. At least go to Eagle’s Eye for lunch one time (top of the gondola). The view is amazing from the restaurant.
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Awesome list! The Cedar Lake Recreation Site is my favorite little camp spot around Golden, to then check out al of the wonderful things you have on this list. I haven’t dared to try mountain biking yet though!
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Cedar Lakes is a great spot. It’s so peaceful even if it’s busy. Next time bring your bike!
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We are spending a lot of time in Golden, Colorado, these days, and your Golden has many similar characteristics! I look forward to visiting the Canadian version one of these days.
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I hope you can! We haven’t been to Golden, Colorado, but should plan a trip there one day.
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Thanks for this! We went through Golden during the forest fires and had to change our plans and get out of there. The air quality was terrible and hiking was out of the question. I hope that we can go back soon and follow some of your highlighted trails 🙂
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Was that this year? We do get smoke from the BC fires often too, but this year it’s from the US. Hopefully you can get back here when the air is clear, It’s great in the winter too.
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No, it was a few years ago when the fires were actually burning in BC. We were driving along hills on fire and communities were evacuated. We had to skip Yoho and Banff and head south to the US to escape the smoke.
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Such amazing picture. Yearning to go out some time.
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Thank you, It is a gorgeous area. Hopefully we can all travel soon.
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Thanks for gathering your knowledge of the area in a very practical post.
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Thank you, we hope it will be useful to anyone thinking of traveling to eastern BC.
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Supernatural British Columbia! The province’s slogan is a perfect fit! Great pictures!!!
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It is true to its slogan. From your place to mine, it is supernatural. 🙂
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hi.
this poor bear… 20 acres are not enough for him. why is he not free?
a big hug.
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Yes, it is not nearly enough space, but Boo was orphaned at just a few months old. He didn’t know how to take car of himself. He did escape twice, but each time he returned on his own, terribly skinny. The ranger are learning a lot from him about what bears learn on their own/or instinct vs what their mom teaches them. It’s sad, but he would have died on his own.
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Such a brilliant list. I would love to go mountain biking as we don’t have many trails dedicated to biking here in Sligo. They are mainly for hikers and I wouldn’t dare to bring my bike, because there’s always someone on the trails and I like to ride my bike like a maniac (it’s one of the best ways to avoid midgets) 😹 Thanks for sharing. As always, your posts make for a great reading material and I love your photos. Take care 😊 Aiva
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Well hopefully someday you can come here to bike! Maniacs are allowed and even encouraged 🙂 Maggie
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All of these activities are a 10+! If only….
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Beautiful BC! Thanks for sharing.
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Wow BC is just… massive! and impressive. and apparently filled with bears too! 🙂 one day….
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yes it is all of that 😉
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This landscape is much needed to refresh and rejuvenate in this otherwise dull atmosphere we all are living in.
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Yes, we’re very glad we live so close to nature here. We can easily escape reality for a few hours.
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Great
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I stopped in Golden briefly while visiting Yoho National Park a few summers ago to go to those golden arches that is McDonald’s (don’t judge). Wish I had more time to spend in this area as it’s quite lovely. Someday I’ll be back.
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Hopefully you can visit again – at least come in to town for a decent coffee/meal 🙂
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I remember a few years ago taking the Kicking Horse gondola and doing a beautiful short hike along the Sawtooth range. Am I mistaken in remembering that you can walk all the way to Gorman Lake? It’s such a stunning area with a lifetime worth of exploring. I’m with you on a love for Yoho National Park. Hope we’ll get there again next season!
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You can hike to Gorman from the gondola top but the resort doesn’t recommend it so I thought I’d avoid it. We finally had clear skies for 2 days and now rain for 3😕
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Haha, same here! September is proving difficult for outdoor activities, Long range looks OK for next week. Fingers crossed.
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That looks like a whole summer’s plan. For a summer when we can actually travel.
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I see I can’t send a photo of a book that I lovingly took for you but. ‘ Walking the World’s Natural wonders is fab for you! No doubt you have seen it! Love you guys x
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I’ll look for it, thanks!!
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Great post – I stopped in Golden to go paragliding which was so much fun!! But it’s made me really want to go back and explore more, as clearly there’s loads more to do there.
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Oh wow! We haven’t gone paragliding yet, just biked up to the launch site. Golden has a great location for summer and winter activities,hope you can make it back😊
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Adding this to our bucket list (minus grizzly bear upclose)! 🙂
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Great! Boo is behind 2 layers of fencing, and one is electric so you’re safe, but he is huge.
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beautiful nature
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Thank you, it is a beautiful part of Canada.
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We did the Via Ferrata but did not mountain bike! We have to go back, it looks amazing!
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The mountain biking is incredible, we haven’t done the via ferrate, but it looks like fun! Hope you get to try biking here in the next year or two… Maggie
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your country is so beautiful 🙂 PedroL
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Thank you, we are lucky in Canada to have so much natural beauty.
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enjoy it 🙂 PedroL
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That lake is gorgeous! I’d be driving though…no taking a chance running into one of those bears for me! Beautiful area to live in!
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The lakes are so peaceful, it’s a great place to bike or camo but May/June we saw at least one bear a day!! July Aug youdbe fine, they’ve gone up higher into the mountains. And they’re just black bears …😄😄😄
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