For anyone wondering where to hike around Golden this summer, there is a homegrown resource that has been quietly answering that question for more than two decades.
GoldenHikes.ca is dedicated to hiking opportunities in and around Golden, bringing together dozens of trail descriptions ranging from easy walks within town limits to demanding alpine routes in the surrounding mountains.
The website currently lists close to 50 hikes throughout the Golden area, as well as trails in Glacier and Yoho national parks and Bugaboo Provincial Park. Hikers can search by location or difficulty, or use map and text searches to narrow down their options.
And unlike a general hiking app covering destinations around the world, Golden Hikes has distinctly local roots.
The original site grew out of a need that will probably sound familiar to anyone who has worked in Golden’s tourism industry: visitors kept asking where to hike.
According to the site’s history, its founder, Kevin Finnegan, was fielding frequent requests for trail information at his bookstore in the early 2000s. He began assessing local hikes and writing route descriptions, eventually building a collection of information covering more than 50 hikes around the region. Over the years, other hikers contributed updates and information.
The website received a makeover in 2015, connected in part to Rick Seward’s broader Golden Trails Project. That initiative envisioned reviving some of the area’s important hiking trails by mapping them, installing trailhead kiosks and clearing accumulated deadfall.
Something for almost every ability
One of the strengths of the website is simply the variety.
Someone looking for an easy outing can find options including Cedar Lakes, Confluence Park, the Rotary Trail, Giant Cedars and Wapta Falls. More experienced hikers can explore moderate routes such as Gorman Lake, Mount 7, Thompson Falls, Diana Lake and The Judge. Difficult routes listed on the site include Abbott Ridge, Hermit Meadows, Perley Rock, Table Mountain and T4 at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
There are hikes close enough to town to squeeze into an afternoon and others that take hikers well into the backcountry.
The Rotary Trail, for example, is entirely within Golden. Golden Hikes describes the seven-kilometre route as an easy, roughly two-hour outing with only about 32 metres of elevation gain, taking walkers along the river and through different parts of town.
The broader collection stretches from the Blaeberry and Beaverfoot valleys to the Bugaboos, Glacier National Park, Yoho National Park and communities south of Golden.
For each hike, the site aims to provide the practical information people need before setting out, including difficulty, access, distance, elevation and route descriptions. The ability to filter trails by difficulty and location makes it particularly useful for visitors who may know they want to hike but have little idea where to begin.
More than directions to a trailhead
Golden Hikes also points users toward planning resources and information about bear awareness, an important consideration when hiking in a region where encounters with wildlife are always possible.
The people behind Golden Hikes describe the purpose of the project as more than simply compiling trail directions. At its heart is a shared belief in the value of spending time outdoors and, in particular, spending time in nature.
That philosophy seems particularly well suited to Golden.
Surrounded by six national parks and sitting between the Rocky and Columbia mountain ranges, Golden has no shortage of spectacular country to explore. Sometimes the harder part is simply figuring out where to start.
For locals who have driven past the same trailhead for years without stopping, Golden Hikes may also provide a reminder that some of the area’s best summer adventures are surprisingly close to home.
The complete trail directory and planning information can be found at GoldenHikes.ca
