Things to Do in Golden in Winter (Family Weekend Itinerary)

Looking for the best things to do in Golden in winter with your family?

We drove past Golden many times as we travelled between Calgary and Vancouver. Maybe you have too. Golden is one of those towns many people pass through. It often becomes a short stop along the drive between Calgary and Vancouver. A quick coffee break. A place to stretch your legs before continuing on to Banff or Revelstoke.

But it deserves more than just a stop.

After properly visiting Golden BC in the winter for the first time, we realized we had been missing out.

Yes, it’s home to Canada’s longest ski run, the 4th highest vertical drop in North America, but winter in Golden is about more than big mountain skiing. If you’re planning a Golden winter getaway with kids, this guide and itinerary will show you exactly how to spend a fun adventure weekend.

Disclaimer: Just a heads up, this winter getaway was done in partnership with Tourism Golden. We are truly gratful for this opportunity, but all opinions are mine and honest. Plus, this free article contains affiliate links. If you purchase after clicking one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost. Your support helps me continue to provide helpful and free content for you.

Is Golden Worth Visiting in Winter?

Yes. 100%. Just look at that view! 👆

Golden BC gives you the big mountain adventure without the big mountain crowds. If Banff is busy and overwhelming, Golden is calmer and more local.

You still get incredible scenery, easy access to outdoor activities within a few minutes of driving, and a true mountain town vibe.

It’s also really well located. Golden sits close to six national parks: Banff National Park, Yoho National Park, Kootenay National Park, Glacier National Park, Mount Revelstoke National Park, and Jasper National Park. That means endless options if you want to extend your trip.

Day 1: Arrive and Settle Into Mountain Mode

If you’re arriving from Calgary or Banff, don’t rush straight to Golden. Take your time to enjoy Yoho National Park (and maybe even Lake Louise area).

After visiting Yoho, it’s time to head in Golden and check into your accommodation (see section below for accommodation recommendation).

Dinner at The Island Restaurant

The Island Restaurant sits right on the Kicking Horse River in a giant log cabin. And yes, it’s actually on a small island. Inside, it’s warm and welcoming.

The menu is Canadian Mountain Fusion (a cuisine type I had never heard before). It offers dishes you don’t see everywhere else such as elk rissole, Rocky Mountain bison burger, or traditional European-inspired plates like Geschnetzeltes. I think offered the Geschnetzeltes and it was delicious.

The kids menu though is a bit basic and expensive, so if your kids are little foodies and love experiencing new food, I would opt for a shared menu from the regular menu. My kids ended up eating our plates. 😉 

Day 2: XC Skiing and Rock Climbing

The ski resort is impressive, and we’ll get to that. But before heading up the mountain, we planned a day focused on different winter activities (that was also good for my mom who doesn’t alpine ski anymore). 

Cross-Country Skiing at Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre

Start the morning at Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre for a fun XC skiing outing. Know that they also have rentals on-site (a lot), which makes it easy if you are travelling and can’t bring your gear (or if like us, you don’t own any cross-country skiing gear).

📍 Important tip: Do not blindly follow Google Maps, because you’ll end up walking for a little while. Instead:

• Continue past the Kicking Horse Day Lodge signs
• Follow Kicking Horse Trail to Hector Trail
• Turn right on Hector Trail and follow it all the way to the Nordic Centre chalet
• You’ll know you’re going the right way when you hit a sharp 90-degree left turn
  

We chose the Beaver Trail with the Chickadee extension loop (which was recommended by one of the staff there). In total, it was about 5 km. It was actually my youngest’s first time on cross-country skis, and the distance was just right.

Just before looping back to the main chalet, we stopped at the Owl’s Roost cabin. There’s a wood stove inside, which makes it extra cozy. It was a fun way to end our skiing adventure and to warm up a bit. I would recommend bringing a thermos of hot chocolate or coffee. 

Lunch at Ethos Cafe

After a morning outside, we headed to Ethos Cafe in town. It’s just outside downtown on the drive back from the ski resort. It’s a relatively new business (3 years old I think) and the decor is beautiful. It’s really peaceful.

We ordered different sandwiches (The persimmon and squash grilled cheese, torta ahogada, chicken parm) and the soup of the day. The portions were generous and everything was delicious. 

They have a few boardgames, so the kids started a game of chest while we waiting on the food. I also ended up chatting with one of the owners, who is French-Canadian, which is always nice to speak French with someone else than my kids. 

Downtown Golden

If the weather is nice, explore the downtown plaza on foot. You can drive there, but it’s only a short walk from Ethos. We stayed parked near the café and walked.

Start with the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge. It’s Canada’s longest freestanding timber-frame bridge and a quick, easy stop right in Spirit Square. Then walk along Golden’s River Walk. It was redeveloped recently and now has benches, pathways.

If your kids enjoy interactive activities, try the Golden Stroll. You scan QR codes along the Rotary Trail and watch short videos about the town’s history. Download the Golden BC app before you go for the full experience.

We also popped into the Art Gallery of Golden and ended up buying a few posters. They had been hanging in our rental, and we loved them, so we were pretty happy to find them there.

Indoor Climbing at Confluence Climbing

If you still have energy, head to Confluence Climbing. It’s a bouldering gym, which means no ropes (thus no previous experience needed). The kids moved from route to route and stayed busy the entire time. They climbed like champions.

I, on the other hand, struggled a bit more… and was so sore the next day. But we all had so much fun!

Make sure to sign the waiver online before you arrive so you can start climbing right away.

Day 3: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

If you are coming to Golden in the winter, you should plan at least one day at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Honestly, I wish we had an extra day.

The mountain is known for its steep terrain and serious vertical. In fact, it has the 4th highest vertical drop in North America. But what surprised me most is that Kicking Horse has Canada’s longest ski run and it is a green run. We skied it three times.

It is called It’s a Ten, and it stretches over 10 kilometres, from the top of the gondola (Eagle’s Eye) down to the base area. That alone makes the day memorable.

💡 Did you know?
If you hold a season pass at Stoneham or Mont-Sainte-Anne, you can also take advantage of the “Ski the West” add-on and receive 3 days of skiing at each of the Western sister resorts (Kicking Horse, Fernie, Nakiska, and Kimberley). A great way to turn your Quebec pass into a Rockies ski adventure.

The gondola ride up is about 12 minutes and gives you wide views over the Columbia Valley. At the top, you’ll find the Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, access to a wide groomed green run, and more advanced terrain for stronger skiers looking for steeper lines.

I was surprised at how wide the runs were, and also the meadow-like area near the top of the gondola was really cool… super magical.

The kids are still beginners, so we are still limited in the runs we do (we’re sticking to green and blue runs), but I didn’t feel like I was missing out at Kicking Horse. The “easy way down” (which we followed the entire way down) was incredibly beautiful. 

Lunch at Eagle’s Eye Restaurant

One of the most unique things to do in Golden in winter is eat at Canada’s highest, in elevation, restaurant.

The Eagle’s Eye Restaurant sits at 7,700 feet at the top of the gondola. And you don’t have to ski to get there. Non-skiers can purchase a sightseeing gondola ticket and ride up for lunch.

And this worked perfectly for us.

We were travelling with my mom, who doesn’t ski anymore. We wanted a ski day, but we didn’t want her to spend the day alone. So we made the perfect plan: We skied in the morning. She took the sightseeing gondola up. We all met for lunch at the top.

It was one of the highlights of the trip.

The dining room has large windows with mountain views in every direction. The menu is more refined than what you usually find on a ski hill, but it is still approachable. The French onion soup was a delight, and I would also recommend trying the Coque Monsieur. 

Reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends.

After lunch, we clicked back into our skis and continued the afternoon on the mountain. My mom rode the gondola back down and relaxed at the base chalet with a book. It was a simple solution that allowed everyone to enjoy the day.

Optional Afternoon Activities

If you still have energy after skiing, you can visit the Golden Museum & Archives. It’s open daily except for Sunday, from 10h to 16h.

After a full ski day, we were ready for a quiet evening, so we skipped the museum this time, but a few years back we did visit it. It’s a small local history museum just one block off Main Street that gives a good snapshot of how Golden grew from a trading post to the mountain town it is today. 

You can see exhibits on the Canadian Pacific Railway, the early Swiss guides, Indigenous history, and the people who shaped the valley. It’s not a huge museum (most families spend about an hour here), but it’s worth a quick stop if you have some time and want to learn a bit more about the community’s past.

We headed back to our suite, made an easy dinner, and ended the day in the hot tub. That combination of big mountain skiing and calm evenings is what makes a Golden winter getaway work so well for families.

Where to Stay in Golden in Winter

Golden is small, which makes choosing where to stay simple. You can stay in town or closer to the ski hill. The drive between downtown and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is only about 20 minutes, so you really cannot go wrong.

• Staying in town gives you easy access to restaurants, cafés, and the river walk, at the Lodge + Lantern or the Prestige Lodge Golden for example.
• If skiing is your main focus, you might prefer staying closer to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, at the Glacier Mountaineer Lodge for example.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Golden Mountainview Suites, just outside downtown on Highway 95 South, on the way toward Radium Hot Springs and Panarama.

We had a spacious ground-level suite with two bedrooms plus an additional suite-style bedroom. It worked well for our group. The hot tub was right outside our unit, which made après-ski easy. There is also a sauna on site, although we did not have time to use it.

The property sits slightly uphill, so an AWD or 4WD vehicle is important in winter to manage the driveway. The mountain views from the property are beautiful.

You can book directly with them, or if you are a HomeExchange member, you can arrange a swap, which is what we did. With an annual membership of CA$ 300, you can swap your home and travel as much as you want in 150+ countries.

How to Get to Golden in Winter: Driving from Calgary to Golden

Golden is easy to reach, especially from Calgary, which makes it ideal for a winter weekend. It’s about a 3-hour drive from Calgary. You’ll take the Trans-Canada Highway west. The drive itself is beautiful, especially as you pass through Yoho National Park.

In winter, road conditions can change quickly. Snowstorms are common in the mountain passes. Check DriveBC before you leave and make sure you have proper winter tires. If you are travelling after a snowfall, give yourself extra time.

We like leaving early in the morning to enjoy a stop along the way.

Stop at Lake Louise

If you have time, you can make a stop at Lake Louise. You can walk on the lake, take the Lake Louise lakeshore trail, ice skate on the lake (they have rental at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise). We’ve done those many times, so this trip, we tried a new hike that we’ve been wanting to do, but never did: Fairview Lookout trail.

It’s a short hike (2.4-km out-and-back), but it’s pretty steep. And loaded with snow, so it can be a bit challenging with kids. It took us a bit longer that expected, but the views from the wooden platform is beautiful. It was worth the effort. And hiking (... or I should say.. running) down was pretty fast.

Stop in Yoho National Park

A bit past Lake Louise on the Trans-Canada Highway is the beautiful Yoho National Park. It’s less visited than Banff, but equally beautiful. Sadly, some places are inaccessible in the winter (or they require longer walking) such as Takakkaw Falls or Wapta Falls, but there are still a few fun stops:

• Emerald Lake (if you have time, I recommend the Emerald Lakeshore loop. It’s a 5.2-km loop around the lake. You can also grab a coffee at the Cilantro Cafe)
• Natural Bridge (it’s a quick stop on the way back from Emerald Lake, but the water is beautiful… so turquoise). 
• Town of Field (it’s perfect for a coffee or lunch stop. The Truffle Pigs Bistro is a great pick).

Driving from Vancouver

From Vancouver, the drive is about 7 to 8 hours, depending on conditions. You’ll cross several mountain passes, so winter tires are essential.

It’s a longer trip.

FAQ: Things to Do in Golden in Winter

Conclusion

Golden is not just a stop between Calgary and Vancouver. It is a real winter destination.

You get big mountain skiing at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Canada’s highest dining experience at Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, quiet Nordic trails, and a small downtown that is easy to explore with kids.

It has the adventure level of a major ski town, but without the same level of crowds or pressure.

If you have been driving past Golden for years like we did, it might be time to stop.