In Between The Parks: Your Golden Stop
Roadtripping the Canadian mountains is one of the most iconic ways to explore Canada and British Columbia. Meet the Golden Triangle, a route through the Rockies and their ancient cousins, the Purcells.
Placed perfectly between the drastic peaks of Yoho National Park and the running rivers of Kootenay, you’ll find the community of Golden tucked away at the foot of the Columbia Wetlands. Further down the valley, you’ll bump into the Village of Radium, making these two communities incredibly convenient to explore the National parks from. This is precisely what makes the Golden Triangle so perfect.
Credit: Andrew Chad
Move Slow in Golden
Whether Golden is your first overnight stop on the Triangle or the second, you’ll find a balance of adventure and relaxation here. Pulling into Golden, you’ll meet a lively little town and quaint businesses along a main drag. The really neat thing about Golden is how accessible the different parts of town are through the trail system. The Rotary trail is a maintained path that connects the main part of downtown to residential areas, and forested groves, and will take you right to the banks of the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers.
After those big adventure days in the Parks, the Rotary trail is a lovely way to slow down and relax. It’s accessible by foot, bike, adaptive bike, or electric chair and it is maintained throughout winter & summer seasons.
Credit: Dave Best
Dining Right
Another perk of the Rotary Trail is that it connects many of Golden’s delicious restaurants, pubs, cafes, and even our brewery. Use the trail to get to your dinner reservation downtown, or stop in for a pint at the Whitetooth Brewery on your way to the river. Golden has a variety of dining options, with signature mountain eats (like the burgers at the Wolf's Den), high dining (Eleven22), and adorable, fresh cafes and bakeries. You can learn more about places to eat in Golden here.
Visit the Visitor Centre
What better way to prepare for your journey on the Golden Triangle than by talking to the people who are waiting to talk to you? Up at the Golden Visitor Centre, friendly information counsellors are available to discuss your route and everything you need to know about it.
You’ll need a Park Pass to explore Yoho & Kootenay, and you can purchase these at the Visitor Centre. They also have free trail maps and personal recommendations on activities and accommodations in town. Read the blog: Plan Ahead for the Parks to learn about everything you need to know before you visit the National Parks.
The counsellors at the Visitor Center will have plenty of recommendations for you. Among them might be:
- Head up to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for a mountain adventure. Rent downhill bikes, explore the peaks by foot, dine on the summit, and see Boo the local Grizzly Bear.
- Spend your day at the local adventure park, the Golden Skybridge, with ziplines, a mountain caster, a giant swing, axe throwing, and more.
- Catch an epic Columbia Valley sunset at the best lookout spot in Golden: Mount 7. You can drive up to Mount 7, or the part of it called the “launch pad” where downhill bikers & paragliders both launch themselves over the edge of the mountain and cruise all the way down to the valley bottom. Mount 7 is iconic for the 7 that appears along the face of the mountain every spring during snow melt, as well as for the views you can get when you picnic at the launch pad. This is, undoubtedly, the best way to wrap up your stay in Golden before you head out to explore the rest of the Triangle.
Credit: Dave Best
