RV Park Rating – Dakota Ridge RV Park (Golden, CO)

A quick review of the RV Park we stayed at in Golden, CO before we get back to travel tales and frivolities.

The park doesn’t have a dedicated website, but you can see general info in this link: Dakota Ridge RV Park

1. Site Quality = 3.5/5
   Overall decent site quality here. Long, paved, flat surfaces with 30/50-amp hookups (although you pay extra for the 50-amp), decent water pressure and sewer. Sites near the entrance are shaded whereas the ones in the East-side are not. There’s a slice of green between each campground with the one negative that you share it with your neighbor which is why we gave them a ding. No cable.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Good facilities here. Large showers (with separate bench) and clean toilets in a modern environment. The only negative is that water-pressure (in the shower) gets affected every time someone flushes the loo, but otherwise no issues.
3. Amenities = 3.5/5
   Good selection of amenities here. Pool, hot-tub, fitness room, playground, lounge-room (with billiards, book-swap and movies), and a good-sized laundry-room. Only two dings were no cable and the WiFi, albeit free, was very, very inconsistent (in fact it didn’t work half the time we were there). Thus the ding in ratings…
4. Location = 4/5
   This is a fairly convenient location in Golden. It’s close to hiking trails, but only a few miles from town, and there’s a mere ~10 miles into Denver. You’re on the outskirts of town, but still within town. I’d give ‘em a higher score if there were more hiking trails right off the site and it was a tad quieter, but otherwise this is a good base to explore the area.
5. Pet Friendliness = 4/5
   They’re open to pets (no breed restrictions) and offer poo-bags and a dog-run on-site.

Overall rating = 3.8

 Summary: Overall this is one of the better campgrounds in the area. They keep it pretty, offer good service and work on greenery and amenities. I would have liked to see a little more space between sites with a private area for each RV, but when I compared to the park across the street (where RV”s were literally packed like sardines) this is a much nicer set-up. Being one of the fancier parks also means it’s jam packed. In our 10 days there we never saw a site sit empty for more than ½ a day, so if you’re coming in the summer, book ahead. Being busy also means it a bit on the noisy side and you do hear traffic on Hwy 6 which runs right in front. Location is decent as far as exploring the area. You’re close to town, Denver and the parks. There’s only one hike on-site which requires bush-whacking across the field behind the storage facility (gets you to Hogsback), but otherwise you’re close to many hikes in nearby William F Hayden Park and other areas in Golden. Overall a very decent “city” RV park, but if we come back we’ll probably try to find something quieter and closer to nature.

Typical site view...paved area with slice of green shared w/ your neighbour

View of sites near entrance

View along the right side of the park where there are more shade-trees

Pet Walk area. You can bush-whack up the hill trail in the back.

Pool area

Playground and main lounge/lobby in background

A Last Adieu to Golden, CO

Well, we’ve flown the coop and are back in the mountains so it’s time to say our last Adieu to Golden, CO. Since it’s almost 4^th of July we may as well do it with a bit of flair and a bang by walking with some of the biggest and best. So, let’s kick on our hiking shoes and fill them up with some last-minute show-stoppers from our trip. 

If you’re looking for entertainment you’ve gotta start with one of the greatest showmen in history and that’s William F “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917). “He was the spirit of the West, typical of the West, one of her favoured and favourite sons” (Denver Times, 1917).  He was a frontiersman, a sharpshooter, an artist, a visionary, and a philanthropist. At a time when division was rife and women’s lib was just a whisper he bought Indians, Mexicans, women and performers together in his world famous “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” which toured for over ~30 years all across the US and Europe, It had a cast of hundreds and was touted as one of the greatest shows on earth. He also fought for equal rights, founded a town (Cody, US) and worked to preserve the buffalo. Yup, he was quite the guy. His last wish was to be buried overlooking the rolling hills of Denver on Lookout mountains and like the giant he was in life his museum and history lives on in death 

But these are not the only great footsteps in Golden. The dinosaurs roamed here ~150 million years ago, and the unique geology of the rockies has preserved their footsteps on Dinosaur Ridge. Pushed up by the great forces of the earth, slices of the Cretaceous and Morrison Formation of  the Jurassic age jutt out of the ground along Hogsback Ridge. Preserved in this unique piece of history are the footsteps of the greatest animals to roam the earth. 

So, with just a skip and a jump you can place your feet in some of the greats. We’ve done just that and say Au Revior and Adieu to our time in Golden. We may well be back….. 

Life-size poster of Buffalo Bill at the museum

 

View from Lookout Mountain where Buffalo Bill is buried

 

Annie Oakley presented in poster for the Wild West show...Buffalo Bill was a big proponent of equal rights for both women and Indians

 

Buffalo Bills grave on Lookout Mountain

 

Dinosaur tracks on Dinosaur Ridge

The Birds and the Bees

Ahh, the sweet sounds of summer…birds tweeting, bees buzzing, flowers bursting and all the animals frolicking about as they do. It’s the fine cycle of nature turning us around in a great circle that leads all the way back to the birds and the bees. Yes, it’s that time of year. Love fills the air, and the air fills me with love. I get sudden urges to run barefoot through the flowers and sing songs about how the hills are alive….you get the picture.

Thankfully my surroundings accept me. You see the foothills really do spring to life in Colorado. Seeds that have waited patiently all winter burst out is a great symphony of color in the spring and blanket the slopes with life by summer. And there’s trails everywhere. There’s over 200 parks in Denver and many more in the foothills. Coloradan’s are crazy for the outdoors and there’s enough space where you can happily lose yourself in the fairytale of it all. So, if the spirit of summer should grab you, go ahead and dish those shoes and just run with it. Everyone else is…

The rolling hills of William F Hayden Park in Golden

Butterflies abuzz in the parks

Paul and a field of mustard yellow

On the trail...man, dog and me

Flowers reach seductively for pollination

A field of color

Beer and Outdoor Frolicking (Golden, CO)

There’s something about being in a place that brews a lot of beer that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The thought of all that water flowing down the mountainside feeding itself into happily fermenting vats, or rows of beer bottles clinking merrily on shelves. Ah yes, it gives the place a truly cozy feel. Now, the minor fact that we don’t drink beer (much) doesn’t distract from the outstanding atmosphere which can easily be supported by a few margarita’s and the  company of good friends.

And that was how we found ourselves in Golden, CO.

Located just ~10 miles outside of Denver this cute little town produces more beer per capita than any other city in the US, but boasts so much other play too. Set picturesquely in the foothills of the Rockies, it’s an adult playground with an outdoor feel. You can river-raft Clear Creek in the AM, go for a jaunt at the local Farmers Market and then top it off with a Mocha at the corner coffee shop. Then, in the afternoon you can drive on into Denver for a Rockies game and spice it up with a few pre-game drinks at one of the many local breweries.

Our friends from California, Matt and Tracie joined us for the week-end and we did all that and more. We’ve got another week here so plenty of time to get into trouble and do it all again. I gotta say, I’m starting to love Colorado….

A few margarita's for the atmosphere

Hanging out at a brewery in Denver w/ Matt & Tracie

Paul gets into the swing at Evergreen Golf Course

Modelling wetsuits for our river-rafting trip down Clear Creek

Great seats at Coors Field for the game