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, Kootenay Rockies: The Best Things to do
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. Kicking Horse River
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 105 reviews
Restless river passing through picturesque valleys offers spectacular scenery and some of the finest white water rafting in the country.
Reviewed By 5cottie - British Columbia, Canada
From White water rafting on the upper reaches to Kayak paddling where is enters the Columbia this river is full of fun (if you're sensible) and adventure. The flow much of the year is pretty fast and it ices over in the winter. DON"T WALK ON IT IN THE WINTER. The thicknes of the ice varies dramatically and if you go through you're not comming out! End EX. If you're there in the spring the ice breakup can be pretty dramtic too at times. Ice from further up the Mountain bottlenecks at Golden and tends to pile up , especially after a hard windter and a fast melt. When it lets go it's a sight to see I'm told! It is a great viewpoint though at any time of the year. Whether from the road bridge or the spectacular covered wooden bridge a few yards downstream. The Riverside walks are pleasant too. Spirit place is a tranquil spot to stop and smell the flowers or take a cold bear at the Riverside Tavern and the water garden adds that visual and aural water delight as you can't see the river for the flood bank, protecting Spirit Place.
2. Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch & Guest Cottage Buffalo Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 169 reviews
Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch & Guest Cottage ~ Buffalo Tours. A working Buffalo & Guest Ranch. We offer educational buffalo tours daily May thru September. The owner, Leo Downey, does one tour every morning May 15th thru September, starting at 10:15 a.m. (Alberta Time )This includes the native fire making demonstration. We also offer 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.
Reviewed By 733brianaw - Perth, Australia
If you're visiting Golden, this is a must do! Leo is so knowledgeable and a really lovely person, operating a beautiful tour in a great country setting. My boyfriend and I visited a few days ago and got a private tour and absolutely loved it! The bison are just spectacular to see and his love of them is clear - thankyou so much Leo! :)
3. Chatter Creek
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 25 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.
4. Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 322 reviews
Reviewed By 574tracyb - Ladner, Canada
Beautiful construction. You can tell it’s not an old bridge. But still a beautiful wooden covered bridge.
5. Rotary Trails
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 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?
6. Columbia River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By Goldenite07
The Columbia River flows through Golden BC on it's way to the Pacific Ocean. Just south of Golden is a gorgeous wildlife viewing area. We left one car in Golden and then drove to a a little town called Nicholson which is about 9 km south and put our kayaks into the water there. There is small parking area next to the river so it doesn't take much to get down to the bank especially when the water level is high. From there you just basically float down to Golden. It took us about 2 and a half hours but we were battling some winds in our face at times. The views are fabulous especially the birds. We saw at least 3 bald eagles and osprey and herons and more. Outstanding. The best place to park in Golden is at the Airport. There is a small parking area next to a good take-out landing but there are other options. This trip is for everything from a beginner to expert kayak. There is no whitewater. The only thing to watch for are low branches along the bank. Inflatable kayaks can be rented from Selkirk Sports at Kicking Horse Resort for $40 a day. Good deal and easy to inflate.
7. Whitetooth Brewing Company
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Whitetooth Brewing Company crafts small batch Belgian-inspired and West Coast influenced beers in the town of Golden, BC. You will find our brewery nestled between the Purcell Range and the Rocky Mountains near the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia Rivers. Our goal is to combine the best experiences that our expansive mountain playground has to offer with the perfect beverage afterwards. Our tasting room is open from 2pm until 10pm, everyday. Must be 19+ to enjoy the tasting room & patio.
Reviewed By k8brit - Kelowna, Canada
I've enjoyed WhiteTooth beer at beer festivals and my from my local private liquor stores, so I wanted to stop in when we were passing through Golden for a night. They have a great tasting room and patio. There was live music and a food truck the evening we were there which was enjoyable. The flight of beer was delish and overall experience was nice. Only downside was that the patio isn't pet friendly. There is a spot to tie up your dog on the outside of the patio but you can't sit with them. I understand everywhere has their own rules but our dog is family so when we are traveling with her it's always nice to find pet friendly establishments... but that aside we would definitely visit again!
8. Golden Visitor Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
The Golden Visitor Centre is now CLOSED for the 2020 season. We would like to thank everyone who came by to learn more about Golden and look forward to seeing you again in 2021. When the Visitor Centre is open, our local, knowledgeable counsellors are the best resource for insider tips on where to stay, what to eat and how to make the most of your mountain adventure. We offer free local maps and guides, trip planning advice and free wifi. Parks Canada passes and a selection of souvenirs are also available for purchase. Our building and washrooms are fully accessible. Our picnic tables make for a great place for lunch while your dog enjoys a break in the dog run.
9. Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 554 reviews
Reviewed By ydeb2014 - Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Wolves are magical and mysterious. It has been my dream to learn about these amazing animals and see them in the wild just one time in my life. But I knew there would only be a small chance that I would get to see wolves in the wild during my trip to Canada. So visiting the Norther lights Wolf center in Golden would be my best chance to ever be close to a wolf. I have never seen a wolf outside of a zoo environment and I decided to go for the photo walk with wolves at the Northern Lights Wolf center. I arrived at the center a bit too early, the doors were still closed. While I waited for the staff to arrive, a beautiful deer on the other side of the road walked up and kept staring at me for a while. This day started out perfectly. I was invited into the center and the wolves started to howl while I waited for the safety instructions. What an amazing sound! I could not believe I got to hear the wolves howl, it felt like Christmas morning to me. I was so excited to be here and couldn’t wait for the walk to start. We got the safety instruction. It was a Saturday and hunting season started, so we had to be extra careful for other people being around today. One of the wolves named Uno was coming with us on the walk. He was stunning. After a short drive we arrived in this beautiful and quiet area with water and forest. All Uno wanted to do is sniff around, play, run and jump. He was doing his “wolf thing” and we were allowed to take photographs from a certain distance. It was a very magical experience that I will never forget and it was one of the highlights of my roundtrip in Canada. Shelly and her staff take care of the wolves very well, they are all very passionate, knowledgeable and they try to tell people about their importance to the ecosystem as well. The walk is easy and slow, anybody can do it. If you don’t want to do the wolf walk you can always just visit the center itself and let the staff teach you about this incredible animal and see some wolves there as well. I think it is amazing that the center also teach young children about the importance of the wolves, by taking their best trained wolves to schools. The center is easy to find and absolutely worth a visit when you are in Golden area. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay long after the walk, because I had to go to the airport, but I loved every minute of my stay here and would like to thank the staff to give us a chance to make dreams come true
10. Gorman Lake
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 23 reviews
The perfect day hike place for a picnic, some fly fishing or an overnight adventure this 90 min hike ends in a picturesque lake nestled in the Alpine.
Reviewed By Rbeans - Edmonton, Canada
This hike was absolutely worth the effort of getting to the trail head. Once you get to the trail head you hike uphill almost constantly until you get to the lake (very doable uphill climb, not steep). The hike is nice and varied as you go from forest trails to picking your way through a boulder field before you wind up at the lake. Not a difficult hike at all, kids 7 and up could probably do it easily. Gorman lake itself is absolutely beautiful with its turquoise water and mountain views. There is even a canoe hidden off in a little cove for public use. I could easily have spent the entire day just sitting by this lake enjoying the scenery, my husband pretty much had to pull me away...he had the car keys so I had to follow :( A lot of people will turn back when they see the state of the access road but the hike is worth it so you should really continue to the end. It takes about an hour to get up the 17 km forestry service road to the trail head as you generally are going between 10 and 30 km/hr to navigate the rocks and washed out sections. You will have some trouble in a low riding cars but any SUV will do it no problem.
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