Outdoors
Free Park Entry for Veterans and Active Military
8 am – 10 pm · Golden Gate Canyon State Park · Free entry for veterans, active-duty military and National Guard members with ID; other park fees still apply
Park
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 12,119-acre state park in the hills between Black Hawk and Golden, with 35 miles of trails, 156 campsites and 125 picnic sites. Expect it to fill by 9 am on fall weekends.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park is run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife: 12,119 acres, 35 miles of trails, 156 campsites and 125 picnic sites. The park’s address is on Crawford Gulch Road, and CPW’s directions come from Golden, 16 miles to the southeast: Highway 93 north 1.5 miles to Golden Gate Canyon Road, then left for 13 miles. Day use runs 5 am to 10 pm; the visitor center is open every day 9 am to 4 pm and the campground office 10 am to 5 pm.
Entry is by daily vehicle pass, $12 to $17 depending on the plate, or $4 for anyone arriving on foot, by bicycle or on horseback; an annual pass is $80 and the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, bought with a Colorado vehicle registration, is $29. Leashed dogs, service animals and horses are allowed; Kriley Overlook, Nott Creek and the Aspen Meadow Campground are the lots CPW names for horse trailers. Camping is booked through cpwshop.com.
The facts above are from CPW’s park page, read 10 October 2026, which also carried the fall parking and paving notices in the access box.
At a glance hiking · camping · picnic · dogs on leash · horses
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Checked October 10, 2026 against cpw.state.co.us. Hours and phone numbers change fastest, so the business’s own page is the record. Report a correction · Know something opening or closing? Tell us
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