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Parks

The City of Golden offers 253 acres of developed parkland as well as 422 acres of open space.  See the City’s video describing our award-winning parks system.

Golden City Parks

Beverly Heights – 19th Street & Goldenvue Dr.
Clear Creek Whitewater Park – 1201 10th St.
Cressman – Wyoming Street & Mesa Court
Discovery Park – 23rd Street & Illinois Street
Golden Bike Park at Tony Grampsas – 4471 Salvia St.
Golden Heights – West 2nd Place & Quaker St.
Heritage Dells – Crawford Circle & Kimball Ave.
Hockey Stop Park – 17533 S. Golden Rd.
Lions – 1300 10th Street
Lions Park Ball Fields – 10th St. & Maple St.
New Loveland Mine – 1309 5th Street
Norman D. – N. Ford Street & Mesa Drive
Parfet Park – 10th St. & Washington Ave.
Rooney Road Sports Complex – 101 Rooney Road
Southridge
– 16th Ave. & Violet Street
Tony Grampsas – 4471 Salvia Street
Ulysses Sports Complex – 1205 Ulysses Street
Vanover Park – Ford St. and Water St.
White Ash Mine – 1400 Iowa Street

Downtown Parks

Vanover Park – Clear Creek at Ford Street
This is a quiet park with a great view of the Coors Brewery. When the water is low and calm, it’s a popular spot for wading. (Wade at your own risk—there are no lifeguards on Clear Creek!)

The park is named after Edgar Vanover who was hanged in the park, back in Golden’s very early days. The story goes that he was drunk, shooting a gun, and promising to kill someone before the day was done. There was no jail and there were no law officers in Golden at the time, so the assembled crowd decided it would be best to hang him before he could make good on his promise.

Parfet Park – Clear Creek at Washington Avenue
Just across the bridge from the downtown shopping area, Parfet Park is a great place to bring a sandwich and enjoy the trees, the mountains, and the creek. On some summer evenings a medieval re-enactment group meets there, and the park is full of flashing rapiers. Young children love the dragon statue and the spiral slide that drops down from the park to the walking path along Clear Creek. The Creek can be fast and dangerous, so be sure the kids have plenty of supervision.

Clear Creek History Park – Arapahoe and 11th Street
The CCHP gives a glimpse of mountain homestead life. Comprised of nearly a dozen historic structures relocated from a ranch in Golden Gate Canyon, the three-acre history park is situated picturesquely on the south bank of Clear Creek. Today, visitors can explore the historic structures, visit with the heirloom breed chickens, and enjoy historic demonstrations during special events. A number of Golden-area residents attended school in the one room Guy Hill School House. The Reynolds cabin, root cellar, blacksmith shop, and chicken coops are all relics of pioneer times. The Park is free and open to the public.
303-278-3557 www.goldenhistory.org/visit/cchp/

Lions Park – West End of 10th Street
Lions Park offers tennis courts, baseball diamonds, a good playground, picnic tables, big shade trees, and a pond.

“Golden Mile” Fly Fishing Area
The section of Clear Creek that’s west of the Whitewater Park offers good trout habitat and is popular with local fly fishing fans.

Community Center – 1470 10th Street
The Golden Community Center, located at the west end of 10th Street, is a beautiful facility, with a recreation pool (including slides for the kids) and a lap pool, rock-climbing wall, gym, indoor track, dance studio, and a weight room with weight machines, free weights, stationary bikes, and treadmills. The facility is open to the public. 303-384-8100. www.cityofgolden.net

Golden Community Garden – 8th St., east of The Briarwood, or 10th St., west of the Community Center
The Golden Community Garden was created in 2009 by the City and a group of dedicated volunteers. The Garden, which is located on City property near the Golden Community Center, can be accessed from either 8th or 10th Street via pedestrian gates (there is a 3rd entrance to the west end of the garden from the walking path).

The goal of the Community Garden is to provide space for members of Golden’s community to grow organic fruits, vegetables, and flowers while also providing a green space for all Golden residents and visitors to enjoy. Golden residents lease plots on an annual basis and contribute volunteer effort to help maintain the community resource. In 2011, members constructed a labyrinth and planted a small orchard. The Golden Community Garden is open to the public. Additional information, including a map is available at www.goldencommunitygarden.org.

Kayak Park

Clear Creek Whitewater Park – West End of 10th Street
The kayak park extends for about a quarter of a mile and includes sections for various levels of experience. It offers fast eddies, surf waves, and wave drops. There are no fees for using the course, which is unsupervised. The course is most popular for kayaking in spring and early summer, when the water is high and fast. In the late summer and early fall many people like to bring tubes to the Creek and float down.

Parks with Playgrounds

The following city parks have playgrounds:  Beverly Heights, Cressman, Discovery Park, Heritage Dells, Golden Heights, Lions, Ulysses Park, New Loveland Mine, Norman D., Southridge, Tony Grampsas, Ulysses Park, White Ash Mine.

Dog Parks

Tony Grampsas Dog Park – 4471 Salvia Street
Homer’s Run (Ulysses Park Dog Park) – 1205 Ulysses Street

Bike Skills Park

Golden Bike Park at Tony Grampsas Memorial Sports Complex – 4471 Salvia Street

Skate Parks

Hockeystop Park (Inline Hockey) – 17533 S. Golden Road
Ulysses Park – 1205 Ulysses Street
Golden Heights – West 2nd Place & Quaker Street

Pavilions

The City of Golden offers several park pavilions for rental March 1st through October 31st. Reservations for park pavilions can be made by calling 303-384-8125.

• Lions Park – two separate shelters, each can accommodate up to 100
• Tony Grampsas Memorial Sports Complex – one large shelter that can accommodate up to 500
• Golden Heights Park – one shelter that can accommodate up to 100

*All other City of Golden park pavilions are first come/first serve

Additional City Park Facilities

Tennis Courts – Lions, Southridge
Sledding Hill – Heritage Dells
Basketball – Heritage Dells, Lions, Southridge, Tony Grampsas, White Ash Mine
Baseball/softball – Lions, Tony Grampsas, Ulysses
Football – Lions, Rooney Road sports Complex
Soccer – Golden Heights, Rooney Road Sports Complex, Ulysses
Lacrosse – Rooney Road Sports Complex
Volleyball – Lions, Parfet, Tony Grampsas
Horseshoe – Golden Heights, Lions, Tony Grampsas
Fitness Loops – Golden Heights, Lions Park Ballfields, Ulysses
Walking Loops – Beverly Heights, Tony Grampsas, Rooney Road, New Loveland Mine
Archery – Tony Grampsas

Jefferson County Open Space Parks

Golden is surrounded by nearly 8,000 acres of regional open space.

Apex Park
Apex Park is a 661 acre Jefferson County Open Space property located in south Golden adjacent to Heritage Square.

Lookout Mountain Nature Center and Preserve
The Lookout Mountain Nature Center and Preserve is located on Lookout Mountain, west of Golden. This 110 acre park provides a comprehensive nature center built in 1997. It contains interactive exhibits, a gift shop and classrooms.

Mount Galbraith Park
Mount Galbraith Park is an 871 acre park located west of Golden on Golden Gate Canyon Road. This is a hiker-only park.

North Table Mountain Park
North Table Mountain Park is located northeast of Golden. It consists of 1,945 acres of undeveloped open space and abundant wildlife. Climbing is not allowed on Jefferson County Open Space. The Access Fund Land on North Table is the only area which allows climbing.

South Table Mountain Park
South Table Mountain Park is located east of Golden, has several trail connections running through 84 acres and great views. Much of the open space property is undeveloped – please respect private property.

Windy Saddle Park
Windy Saddle Park is located west of Golden, south of Mount Galbraith. The Windy Saddle parking lot is located along Lookout Mountain Road. Windy Saddle provides access to Denver’s hiker-only Beaver Brook Trail.

Matthews/Winters Park
Matthews/Winters Park, located south of Golden, offers over 800 acres of open space. Matthews/Winters Park and the adjacent Hogback provide a haven for wildlife viewing and hiking. This is also a popular mountain biking destination.

Green Mountain Park
With over 2,400 acres of open space, William Frederick Hayden Park on Green Mountain is the second largest park in Lakewood. A challenging network of multi-use trails is available in the park. The summit, at 6,800 feet, offers unique and stunning views of the Denver Metropolitan area to the east, as well as high mountain peaks to the west.

Parks, Trails and Open Space Etiquette

  • Keep bikes under control and at a safe speed
  • Bikes must yield to the right-of-way to other trail users
  • Dogs should be leashed at all times and waste picked up
  • Be respectful of residential neighborhoods and mind noise levels especially after dark
  • Clean up any trash and recyclables and place in designated bins• Do not harass wildlife
  • Keep out of native and sensitive areas, stick to designated trails
  • Alcoholic beverages are prohibited per city ordinance (except with a park open container permit which must be issued 48 hours in advance).

Source:

This material in this section is reprinted with permission from the City of Golden.