Golden Gate Canyon

C O L O R A D O P A R K S & W I L D L I F E Golden Gate Canyon State Park FACT SHEET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017 Who we are Golden Gate Canyon State Park offers a variety of recreation opportunities within an hour’s drive of the Denver Metro Area. Over forty miles of multiple-use trails await the outdoor enthusiast, providing access to high mountain meadows, lush streamside corridors, rocky peaks and dense forest. Overnight accommodations range from the Harmsen Ranch Guest House, to tent and RV sites at the family-friendly Reverend’s Ridge Campground, to rustic backcountry sites with no amenities. First class campgrounds, picnic areas, trails and fishing areas are nestled within nearly 12,000 acres of semi-wilderness. Panorama Point Scenic Overlook and group facility offers spectacular views of over 100 miles of Colorado’s Continental Divide throughout the year. Sportsmen of all ages and abilities will find numerous hunting and fishing opportunities within the boundaries of this spectacular state park. Visitors to Golden Gate Canyon State Park spend about $34.8 million annually in local communities.1 Top attractions • Over forty miles of trails offering a variety of opportunities for hiking, bicycling, winter sports and horseback riding. • Year-round overnight accommodations, including cabins, yurts, Harmsen Ranch Guest House, electric RV sites, tent camping and backcountry campsites and shelters. • Panorama Point Scenic Overlook offers views of 100 miles of snow-capped peaks along the Continental Divide. • Various group facilities, including Rifleman Philips Campground, Red Barn Picnic Area, the Columbine Meeting Room, Panorama Point and Works Ranch Group Area. • Hunting and fishing opportunities include regularly stocked fishing ponds along park roads and in the backcountry, in addition to small and big game hunting areas. • The Clinton Family Foundation • Colorado State Forest Service • Larkin Family Trust • Gilpin County • Jefferson County • The Friends of Golden Gate Canyon State Park Challenges we face • Ensuring forest health, fuel mitigation, mountain pine beetle mitigation and noxious weed resource management projects are funded and completed annually through coordinated efforts between the park and Colorado State Forest Service staff and volunteers. • Augmenting operational and personnel resources with increased efforts to recruit and train individual and group volunteers. • Seeking private donations to maintain and enhance the park’s 40+ miles of multiple-use trails, access roads and backcountry campgrounds. • Overcrowding issues at many locations requiring additional staffing resources and law enforcement activities. • Balancing expanded recreational uses and facility maintenance with stagnant operating budgets. 1Source: Corona Research, Colorado State Parks Marketing Assessment, “Visitor Spending Analysis 2008-2009” (adjusted for inflation). COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us KEN PAPALEO//HIGH COUNTRY COLORING Our partners Golden Gate Canyon State Park CPW As of June 30, 2017 Volunteer activities • Campground host program at Reverends’ Ridge and Aspen Meadow Campgrounds. • Volunteer naturalist program at Reverend’s Ridge Campground and the Visitor Center. • Visitor Center host program, which was initiated to assist with staffing needs. • Scout groups and other volunteers continue to assist with trails and natural resource projects throughout the park. • Members of the Friends of Golden Gate State Park group assist with historical preservation projects. Geography Region: Northeast County: Gilpin and Jefferson Year Acquired: 1960 Elevation: 9,100 ft Miles From Denver: 30 Trails Biking: 27.5 miles Hiking: 42.4 miles Horseback: 27.5 miles Cross Country Skiing/ Snowshoeing: 42.4 miles Total: 42.4 miles Employees Permanent: 8 Temporary: 18 Volunteers: 100 Volunteer Hours: 6,289 Facilities Dump station Group picnic area Laundry 125 picnic sites Showers (coin-operated) Visitor Center Acreage Total Acres: 11,911 Governmental US Cong Dist: 2nd CO Senate: 16th CO House: 13th and 25th Recreation Fishing Geocaching Hunting Ice Fishing Ice Skating Ranger/Nature Programs Rock Climbing Snowtubing Wildlife/Bird Viewing Winter Camping Roads Paved: 8.7 miles Unpaved: 2.7 miles Annual Visitation 866,326 Walden Fort Collins Craig Hayden Steamboat Springs Sterling Estes Loveland Park Greeley Oak Creek Fort Brush Morgan Meeker Kremmling Golden Gate Canyon Wray Brighton Denver Golden Avon Vail Rifle Frisco Glenwood Springs Breckenridge Collbran Fruita Aspen Leadville Castle Rock Limon Burlington Fairplay Grand Junction Delta Paonia Hotchkiss Buena Vista Crawford Colorado Springs Kit Carson Cripple Creek Olathe Gunnison Montrose Camping Guest House (year-round): 1 Cabins/Yurts (year-round): 7 Campsites (basic, year-round): 73 Campsites (electrical, year-round): 59 Campsites (primitive, year-round): 24 Group Facilities (year -round): 2 Salida Canon City Pueblo Ridgway Ouray Lamar La Junta Dove Creek Walsenburg Monte Vista Dolores Cortez Durango La Veta Springfield Trinidad CPW Mancos Alamosa Pagosa Springs COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us