Top Things to do in Golden
Top Restaurants in Golden
- 1. Eleven22 Restaurant
- 2. Golden Bakery & Deli
- 3. The Golden Taps
- 4. The Turning Point Restaurant
- 5. Cedar House Restaurant & Chalets
- 6. The Fire Pit BBQ Smokehouse
- 7. The Island Restaurant
- 8. Bacchus Books & Cafe
- 9. Whitetooth Mountain Bistro
- 10. Eagle's Eye Restaurant - Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
What to do and see in Golden, Canada: The Best Places and Tips
Explore the rugged landscape of Kicking Horse Country from your base in Golden. Sate your appetite for adventure here, from hiking, kayaking and river rafting to ice climbing, sledding and heli-skiing. If you really love a challenge, stay at any of the area's B&Bs and lodges that are only accessible only by helicopter.
Restaurants in Golden
1. Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch & Guest Cottage Buffalo Tours
Overall Ratings
5 based on 121 reviews
Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch & Guest Cottage ~ Buffalo Tours. A working Buffalo & Guest Ranch. We offer educational buffalo tours daily May thru September (10 a.m to 1 p.m. Alberta Time ) and year round accommodations in our fully furnished guest cottage and our peaceful cabin by the creek,, Wagon in the Woods and Buffalero's Bunkhouse in the Barn. Make yourself at home, see buffalo in their natural social order, learn about them first hand, wander the ranch and our pristine river frontage on the beautiful Blaeberry River, and come Dog Sledding with us starting Winter 2018 !!
Reviewed By Tigerman777
I absolutely LOOOVE this place!!!! Leo is one of the nicest people I've ever met . That's saying a lot, considering I've visited all over Europe, Latin America and some countries in Asia and Africa. You MUST take in his gorgeous property, with amazing views of the Mountains, while his beautiful herd of buffalo are roaming the pastures. Sometimes the herd will come right up to the viewing platform. There are times you can see the magnificent Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), which I saw a little of one night. The Mountains somewhat inhibit the view though. You really will enjoy Leo's compelling story during the buffalo tour. He will tell you about his beloved Chester senior and his son, Chester junior. It is really interesting how he handles his herd of these astoundingly majestic animals. I wouldn't walk among them, like Leo does, that's for sure. Ive been around bison before, but never realized how dangerous they are, especially the bull (weighs up to 2,000 pounds/907kg), which fights his whole life to dominate the herd. He has a really nice presentation at his home, while this crazy squirrel might make a showing. He explains a lot about why, how and when he got the herd of buffalo started and some serious challenges that arose. He will show you how to start a fire from things you will find in the forest or his pastures for that matter. He gets the kids involved as well, which means the tour is for people of all ages. You will have a chance to buy a cd of his beautiful music as well. I didn't expect to come to a buffalo ranch and find out the owner is a great musician too. I think he has a book you can buy as well?
You might be fortunate enough to be able to stay in one of his dwellings on his property. They all are really nice from what I could see. I stayed for three nights in the covered wagon, which is right next to a creek that can somewhat lull you to sleep at night. I thought it was way too cool to be woke up by the grunts of the bison in the morning. You want to know next to nature. My little wagon was very clean, with basic amenities like a bed with a mosquito net over it. I did not expect that in beautiful Canada. You have your own little outhouse as well as propane heat (and propane camp stove for cooking) to use if you get cold. I didn't use that though, I'm from a cold weather state in the US.
A couple of things to show the demeanor of Leo: 1) he had a friend come up form California to help him make a recording of his new music and he invited people into his studio to listen while recording. I happened to be outside taking photos of the Aurora Borealis when he was playing and was/am deeply impressed with his new music, which is quite calming. The next day I let him know how much I enjoyed it when shooting photos and he let me know he wanted to invite me (I bought a cd the day before and played it when visiting Yoho National Park and loooved it!!!), but he couldn't contact me. I mentioned to him I would have really enjoyed singing with him just for fun a little bit (of course not being recorded, though) and I said how about tonight? He tried to do it, but it didn't work. His friend came in quite late. 2)Leo's friend said one of the most offensive things I've ever heard ( I'm not one to get easily offended either) and Leo just looked down and shook his head. (I was so annoyed I almost said something, but I'm not sure it was my place). Leo's a very humble, gracious and inviting person to be around. I would be more than willing to spend time there again in the future. The buffalo tour is included in your overnight stay at one of his rentals, but I believe costs $15.00 for a tour otherwise.
I have to give a shout out to Elizabeth, one of Leo's workers, too. She is super nice and let me know the best areas to see the Aurora Borealis in the area. She even loaned me a map book to try to get there. Unfortunately, it was my last night there, the kp forecast for the lights was low and I was planning on doing a large hike on the best trail in the area (some say the best in all the Canadian Rockies), the Iceline trail in Yoho National Park super early in the morning. Wish I would have known the information earlier, maybe the first night.
In conclusion, the buffalo tour is more than worth the price of admission and being around such nice people makes it worth twice the admission. For those who've never seen bison before, an icon of the American/Canadian plains/west, it's worth three times the admission. Go, visit, enjoy and cherish the memories. I know I will!!!
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2. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 829 reviews
Kicking Horse has attracted rave reviews after just seven seasons for its awesome vertical, deep powder and spectacular terrain mix. With an express gondola accessing over 4100 ft (1260m) of vertical, you’re bound to ski and ride an impressive feat of terrain comparable to only that of heli-skiing. Coupled with summer activities such as mountain biking, wildlife education, and alpine sightseeing, this is a place where the stories are almost too tall to believe.
Reviewed By EnricoNovelli - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Most challenging ski resort in North America: beats Revelstoke and Jackson Hole hands down. The upper mountain, which has the amazing terrain is essentially made up of 4 huge bowls separated by peaks and ridges. Every peak and ridge is hikeable and skiable although those hikes are not always even on the map. Everything that comes down is skiable and often really challenging for steepness and obstacles. So the amount of advanced terrain is huge. The views are amazing and there are also beautiful glades. The steep terrain continues down to the bottom for a total of >4000 ft of vertical.
The only downside is the lift situation. There is a gondola that takes you to the top and then one slow quad lift for the upper mountain on the right and specifically for one of the bowls. The other 4 bowls, if you drop into them you are committing to go all the way down. And if it is a holiday or weekend there is a big line at the bottom. This bad lift situation limits the amount of runs you can do in a day. So you will need 3 days at least to explore everything and avoid weekend and holidays.
3. Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 223 reviews
Reviewed By F4981JCmichaels
We went on this bridge. It's a pretty bridge, and the view of the river is nice. Next to it was a venue for music, but we didn't stay. It was hot that day and the music wasn't that great. The Gardens around the bridge and facility are beautiful and well maintained.
4. Kicking Horse River
Overall Ratings
5 based on 79 reviews
Restless river passing through picturesque Valleys offers spectacular scenery and some of the finest white water rafting in the country.
Reviewed By sanzzie - Toronto, Canada
Our family of four did the "Gentle" raft ride just 6 days ago. It had level 1-3 rapids. I have read some reviews that the ride was not thrilling enough but the water must have been low. I have rafted before on the Fraser river and this was more exciting by far. We went through some huge rapids and were completely soaked. My husband continued on and did the "Exciter" that goes through class 4 rapids, and let me just say he is an adrenlaine junky and will do and go on anything, and he said it was in sane.....one of the scariest things he has done!
Guides and all the staff were amazing!
5. Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre
Overall Ratings
4 based on 411 reviews
Reviewed By HinemoaHoney - Rotorua, New Zealand
My daughter and son-in-law love wolves. While visiting them from NZ, I celebrated my birthday. My birthday gift - the opportunity to take part in the photography walk with the wolves. It was the best gift ever!
What a magical experience. I enjoyed every minute and would recommend it to anyone -regardless of whether you're into photography or not.
We walked with three wolves - Wiley, Dave and Murphy. From pup to old man they each had their own personality. It was a real buzz to see them outside of an enclosure and also to be able to touch them.
Casey and Shelly really know their stuff. The passion and commitment shines through.
I now understand why my daughter and her partner are into wolves!
I highly recommend visiting the centre.
Note: if you're doing the walk with the wolves and are wearing a hat or jacket with fur on or around it, you'll need to leave it off.
6. Rotary Trails
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
The Rotary Trail is a great hike on days when you only have a brief period of time available, or when you just do not feel like anything more strenuous. Entirely inside town limits, it includes riverside walks, great views, and has a pub halfway along. What more can you ask?
Reviewed By BenLar137 - Calgary, Canada
For years, we either scooted through Golden completely, or only stopped at the highway businesses for gas or food. But recently we've been exploring a bit more of the actual town. A real bonus for spending time in Golden is their town trail system, and especially the gorgeous covered pedestrian bridge. Also, they have developed a park at the confluence of two mighty rivers, the Columbia and the Kootenay, which flow through the town. Well worth seeing, but in the winter, make sure you have ice grips on your boots!
7. Chatter Creek
Overall Ratings
5 based on 23 reviews
Situated on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains, deep in the backcountry, Chatter is known for its large and spectacular terrain. Ski or snowboard our mind-blowing powder snow in 58,000 acres of alpine bowls, stunning glaciers and endless tree runs. This amazing place, Chatter Creek, is only a 3 hour drive and a gorgeous helicopter flight away from western Canada’s second largest city, Calgary, Alberta.
Reviewed By Tony H - Nanaimo, Canada
Chatter Creek has been an annual skiing pilgrimage for my friends and I since it opened in 2000. I have personally been ten years in a row and intend to continue do go until I can't ski anymore. Having grown up a ski racer and...MoreDear Tony, Thank you so much for taking the time to write this thorough review. Being that you are still a young man, we expect and hope to see you back skiing with us for many years to come. Cheers! Isabelle
8. Columbia River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By gwgMimsFlorida - mims florida
There is an easy pleasant walk along this attractive river. Near airport, with informative information boards.
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