Golden Gate Canyon State Park - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Golden Gate Canyon State Park is the ideal outdoor getaway perfect for a day or week-long excursion. The 12,119-acre Front Range park established in 1960 has 42 miles of hiking trails. Facilities include a visitor center, over 100 campsites and 125 picnic sites. Commonly seen wildlife includes mule deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, Abert's squirrel and pine squirrel.

Tremont Mountain is the northernmost named summit in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Its summit consists of a rocky outcropping with some simple scrambling that is required to reach the high point. It also offers great views of the entire Front Range, from Longs Peak to Pikes Peak.

Mount Thomas is located near Black Hawk, covering some 300 acres including more than 200 acres of "fully groomed forested acres of Aspen and pine. The view of the Rocky Mountains is stunning.This is a popular trail for hiking, horseback riding, and trail running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.

This 2.5 mile loop hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park has lots of shade, panoramic views of snowcapped peaks, wildflowers, and trickling brooks. The trail eases on a service road lined by notably tall aspen and a bright collection of wildflowers. The narrow valley through which you're passing opens upon reaching a sparingly marked access road-trail for Reverend's Ridge Campground.

Thorodin Mountain is located inside Golden Gate Canyon SP and within Roosevelt National Forest. This is only a class-2 hike and a short one at that.From the summit of Thorodin Mountain, descend to the northeast, skirting a 10,520 foot false summit of Thorodin Mountain to its east side. Continue heading northeast to the saddle between Starr Peak and Thorodin Mountain's northeastern false summit. From the saddle, ascend to the northeast to the summit of Starr Peak.

The historic City of Black Hawk is a home rule municipality located in Gilpin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 127 at the 2020 United States Census, making Black Hawk the least populous city  in Colorado. The tiny city is a historic mining settlement founded in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Black Hawk is now a part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.