Evening Hike on Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado

Hiking During Golden Hour on Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado

Our last evening in Colorado, we knew we needed to soak in the mountain scenery as the sun waned. We had just eaten dinner with a river view in Golden and opted to head up nearby Lookout Mountain. Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, we quickly learned that Lookout Mountain lives up to its name providing perches with absolutely magnificent views.

As we ascended Lookout Mountain, we noted the golden sun lighting up the surrounding landscape in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

As we hiked up one of Lookout Mountain's trails, we admired the golden highlights of the sun on the landscape all around. We did not encounter many hikers on our hiking adventure, so we did not quite realize how popular Lookout Mountain is for sunset viewing. After our hike, we continued to drive up the mountain and noticed quite a few wanderers claiming spots to watch the sunset.

Tall grasses and small shrubs dot the landscape.

We used the Chimney Gulch Trail to ascend the mountain. Mountain bikers share the trail, so if you embark on it watch out. We did not hike the full trail but did quite enjoy the portion we did hike. We found it rugged yet manageable. We did spot quite a few birds on our hike which was a delight.

Rocky landscape with a few evergreens and other trees popping up.

Each mountain we hiked in Colorado was quite unique. We encountered a such a cornucopia of environments so close together. Lookout Mountain felt more desert like than some of the other mountains we explored. Our dirt trail wound through smaller shrubs and grasses. 

View from the rugged trail on Lookout Mountain.

For most of the hike, we absorbed the beautiful scenes around. The golden hues of the sun setting added the perfect cap to our trip.

Breathtaking view of Denver from Lookout Mountain.

Lookout Mountain was used by the region's original Native American inhabitants as a lookout point for the surrounding area. Today, Lookout Mountain provides an amazing view of Denver which is only 12 miles away. I am normally not a cityscape fan, but the view from Lookout Mountain is quite breathtaking.

Twisty and turny drive up Lookout Mountain.

Interestingly, Lookout Mountain is the finally resting place of Buffalo Bill Cody. Cody's grave can be found at the summit with an accompanying museum. Buffalo Bill died in Denver while visiting his sister and is said to have requested to be buried overlooking the Great Plains where he spent much of his life.

Our evening hike at Lookout Mountain treated us to a golden memorable experience ending our trip to Colorado. We truly appreciated the magnificent views as we wound up the mountain. We took in the spectacular Colorado sunset from different points on the mountain. What a fantastic way to wind down a vacation!