Golden Gate Canyon State Park: Raccoon Trail (Blog Hike #812)

Trail: Raccoon Trail
Hike Location: Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Geographic Location: northwest of Golden, CO (39.87552, -105.44975)
Length: 3.7 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: A lollipop loop passing fantastic views at Panorama Point.
Park Information: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/GoldenGateCanyon
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=823528
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 6 and SR 93 in Golden, take US 6 west 11.5 miles to SR 119, then continue straight to begin heading north on SR 119.  Drive SR 119 15.8 miles to Gap Road and turn right on gravel Gap Rd.  When Gap Rd. enters the park after another 1.1 miles, turn left to head for the park's Reverend's Ridge Campground, which is reached in another 0.7 miles.  The hike starts behind the campground office.

The hike: Established in 1960, Golden Gate Canyon State Park protects 12,119 acres of classic Rocky Mountain Front Range scenery.  The park and canyon get their name from some small gold deposits that were discovered in this area in the mid 1800's.  The park is located less than an hour northwest of Denver, so it receives large numbers of visitors, especially on weekends.  Plan a weekday visit or plan to arrive early in the morning if you want to find a parking spot when you arrive.

            The park has many amenities including a Visitor Center with excellent interpretive exhibits, 2 campgrounds with both developed and primitive sites, several meeting spaces available for rent, and 42 miles of hiking trails.  It would take days to hike all of the available hiking routes in this park, so this hike features only one trail: the park's Raccoon Trail.  The Raccoon Trail combines moderate difficulty with a visit to Panorama Point, possibly the park's most scenic site, and therefore it is the park's most popular trail.

Raccoon Trail's campground trailhead

            There are a couple of places from which you can start the Raccoon Trail, but this description starts at the Reverend's Ridge Campground because it is easy to find and offers relatively plentiful day-use parking.  From the trailhead behind the campground office and amphitheater, the signed Raccoon Trail heads into a forest dominated by ponderosa pines and soon begins descending.  Where another arm of the Raccoon Trail comes in from another part of the campground to the left, switchback to the right and continue descending.

Climbing through a ravine

            After descending 250 vertical feet and passing under a power line, you reach the intersection that forms the Raccoon Trail's loop at 0.5 miles.  To do this hike's climbing on a gentler grade, I chose to turn right here and use the left trail as my return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  The wide dirt trail climbs on a gradual to moderate grade through forest that now features patches of pines and aspens.  A creek flows to your left, but it can be heard more often than seen.

            At 0.9 miles, you reach an intersection with the Mule Deer Trail, which enters from the right and heads south along the park's west boundary.  Turn left as the Mule Deer and Raccoon Trails begin to run conjointly and descend gradually.  Although both of these trails are open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses, I saw no evidence of heavy horse use, and I saw hikers almost exclusively when I hiked here on a Saturday morning in mid-July.

Climbing through steeper terrain

            Soon the climb resumes through steeper and rockier terrain, and a couple of switchbacks need to be negotiated.  The grade is never too steep, but the 9000+ feet of elevation will get you winded faster than usual.  At 1.5 miles, you reach the highest elevation of this hike at Panorama Point's observation platform.  The view north and west from here is legendary: rolling aspen and pine covered hills lie in the foreground, but snow-capped mountains on the Continental Divide and in Roosevelt National Forest stand off in the distance.  Because Panorama Point is also accessible by car, you will almost certainly not be alone here, but take some time to have a trail snack and enjoy the views.

View from Panorama Point

            When you are ready to leave the view, head up to the parking lot and angle left to continue the Raccoon and Mule Deer Trails, which head east from the parking lot.  Some picnic tables and vault toilets are also located at this parking lot.  The next section of trail traverses a steep hillside on a somewhat rocky but level grade.  Views of Thorodin Mountain's craggy and pine-covered slopes appear straight ahead and to the left.

Thorodin Mountain and beyond

            Just past 2 miles, the Raccoon and Mule Deer Trails part ways.  Angle left to stay on the Raccoon Trail and begin a long descent.  The descent is gradual at first, but it becomes quite steep when you switchback off the side of the ridge.  Some meadows punch through the tree cover here, so be prepared for some sun exposure.

Hiking through a meadow

            After crossing a small creek on a wooden footbridge, you pass a private cabin just before a spur trail exits right to a parking lot that serves this cabin.  This point is the lowest elevation on this hike, and you should turn left to begin climbing gradually up a ravine following a power line.  At 3.2 miles, you close the loop.  Turn right and retrace your steps uphill to Reverend's Ridge Campground to complete the hike.  In addition to camping, this campground also offers a short nature trail that you could tack on to this hike while you are here.