Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden

I have hiked quite a few trails here, and all are beautiful. I like Mountain Lion Trail the best for the ever changing terrain. The start is green and feels like Hawaii on a humid day, while the last part opens up to dry, rocky, Colorado landscape with wide views of the surrounding hills. The best part for me is that because you do need to pay either for a yearly pass (highly recommend) or one time per car, it encourages car pooling and means less people on the trails.

What a great park! Perfect if you're a tent camper, RVer, or like us...went for the cabins-for-rent. Lots and lots of hiking trails with beautiful scenery. If you're an autumn "leaf-peeper," a park ranger told me that the end of September or beginning of October are the times to visit. Always, repeat always, pay for the daily park pass. Regarding the cabins, they are perfect for those of us that still like a little bit of comfort to blend with "roughing it." The cabins have 2 sets of bunk-beds, each bottom bunk being a full-size and the top bunks are singles. The cabins have electricity and heat. And if you struggle with being disconnected, no worries...we had 4G coverage the whole time.