Table of Contents
Golden in fall is quiet, understated, and beautiful. With a hint of winter in the air there’s no jostling with crowds, reservations are easy to get, and the town is bedecked in a tapestry of orange and yellow – with perhaps a dusting of snow on the mountain peaks. It’s the perfect time for a visit if you’re keen to relax, unwind and embrace the cozy season in Golden, BC.
Plan a stay in one of Golden’s cute cabins or hotels with amenities like hot tubs, fireplaces and saunas. Add in a side of soft adventure – like a mellow hike or two – to nearby places like Wapta Falls in Yoho National Park, Thompson Falls off Blaeberry Road or the Rotary Loop right in town. You might even want to give the suspension bridge a go at Golden Skybridge.
Throw in some seriously fun wildlife viewing. If your timing’s right, you can visit Boo the grizzly bear on his 20-acre home at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Or take a walk with a wolf at the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre. Prefer bison? Join a tour at the Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch.
Wapta Falls is one wide waterfall with a very high flow rate – and just 20 minutes from Golden to the trailhead
Cozy places to stay in Golden
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to cozy places to stay in Golden. There’s everything from romantic B&Bs to geodesic domes to log cabins and condos close to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
Home Lodge – a luxury bed and breakfast is the epitome of cozy. Rooms are well appointed with soft sheets and warm blankets. The welcoming shortbread is a nice touch – and their breakfast is divine. After a few hours outside it’s lovely to come back to their outdoor hot tub – where you might see deer or one of their very photogenic Scottish Highland cattle wandering through their spacious yard. Sipping wine under the stars is a hit too.
Home Lodge – a cozy and luxurious B&B in Golden
I love the coziness of glamping – and The Blaeberry Base – checks off all the boxes. Located close to the Northern Lights Wolf Centre, it features two kitted out geodesic domes – with a full kitchen. Outside there’s a deck, a shared cedar sauna, a fire pit, a BBQ grill, and lots of green space.
Geodesic dome at Blaeberry Base – Photo credit: Tourism Golden
Book one of the handcrafted log cabins at Moberly Lodge and cozy up by the fire, relax on the deck, sip wine around your private fire pit, and soak up the mountain views and all the nature that surrounds the lodge.
The cozy cabins at Moberly Lodge are another great option – Photo credit: Tourism Golden
If you like the idea of staying near Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, check out Lush Accommodation for cozy one-bedroom condo options – all with a hot tub and many with a gas fireplace. The one I stayed in also offered beautiful mountain views.
View from my condo close to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden
Easy adventures for chilly days in Golden
Drive up to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, even if the lifts aren’t running. If you’re visiting in September, take the gondola to the top for a hike and enjoy a leisurely lunch with a view. The fall colours are spectacular, and you could easily spend a half day up here.
You might also like: Best Fall Hikes in Golden, BC & Nearby
The view on the way up to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort where you’ll find a restaurant with a view and some hiking trails
Walk or bike a section of the 7-kilometre-long Rotary Trail along the Kicking Horse River. Take advantage of the Golden Stroll Interactive Walking Tour. There are two routes to explore – the Reflections Route and the Confluence Walk – both of which bring Golden’s history and its people alive with videos accessed by QR signs on posts along the route.
If it’s a starry night I highly recommend you include a romantic stroll over the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge – a nice way to cozy up to someone special in Golden.
Walk a section of the Rotary Trail and cross the Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge – Photo credit: Tourism Golden
Visit Reflection Lake if you want to slow down and enjoy some bird watching in a peaceful setting. Look for a variety of waterfowl and excellent views of the Columbia Mountains.
Walk across Canada’s highest suspension bridge if you’re visiting before mid-October. If you want a break from cozy and quiet in Golden, you’ll find plenty of heart-pounding adventures at the Golden Skybridge.
The Golden Skybridge is the highest suspension bridge in Canada
Get your wildlife fix
Check out the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre to learn about wolves and their critical role on every plant and animal in the ecosystem. Better yet, sign up for a walk with the wolves in the wild. Over 90 minutes you can learn about their behaviour, and mug for shots with a couple of wolves that are unafraid of humans.
It’s a thrill to walk with wolves in Golden
Explore Rocky Mountain Buffalo Ranch, located off Blaeberry Road just 10 minutes from Golden. The owner of the ranch, Leo Downey, a brilliant guitarist and the subject of a film at the Banff Film Festival, personally takes you on a tour to see the buffalo from mid-May until the end of September. Year round he also rents one-of-a-kind cozy cabins.
Visit Boo the grizzly bear at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort until late September and learn how he came to call a 20-acre ecologically diverse piece of land beneath the gondola home. You can choose from ranger assist tours to simply visiting the Grizzly Bear Refuge anytime throughout the day while the lift is in operation.
It’s a thrill to see Boo the grizzly bear up close – just look at those claws
Indoor and local experiences during cozy season in Golden
Golden’s downtown is full of small-town warmth, where you can browse locally owned stores, grab a coffee at a cozy café, or linger over a meal at one of several great restaurants.
The combo of bookstore and café is a compelling one. Linger over a bowl of soup at the Bacchus Cafe – while surrounded by books across the genres. It’s one of my favourite places to visit!
If you’re into the outdoors, take the time to browse through Golden Outdoors. They have a selection of outdoor clothing, footwear and gear – by top brands in the outdoor space. And lots of personalized attention.
If you love a massage, why not book a mobile masseuse and have them come to your cabin or condo. That’s one of the best ways to relax into cozy season in Golden.
For history lovers check out the Golden BC Museum to peak into the town’s railway and mountaineering past. It’s open every day but Sunday from 10 AM – 4 PM.
Enjoy breakfast or lunch at the Bacchus Cafe in Golden surrounded by books
Where to warm up and eat well in Golden, BC
For a town of around 4,000 people, Golden, BC has a large number of very good restaurants and cafes.
To kick start your morning try the Blue Bird Café with delicious lattes and baked goods along with more substantial fare if that’s what you want. For breakfast with some local flavour and history check out Big Bend Café. Their hot sauce selection is enormous and so are the portion sizes. Bring your appetite and enjoy the atmosphere. For one of the best coffees in town head to Ethos Café.
The Island Restaurant has an interesting location – and an eclectic menu with pizza, pasta, and a little Asian Fusion thrown in for good measure. It’s perfect for cozy dinners in Golden. Another local favourite is Eleven22 – named for its address on 10th Avenue South. Located in a historic house, it offers upscale comfort food alongside local beers and Okanagan wines. Reposados Tacos is perfect for tacos and margaritas while next door at Whitetooth Bistro it’s all about old favorites like salads, steaks, bowls, and burgers.
Visit Golden’s Whitetooth Brewing Co for a flight of beers. If you’re hungry order food from one of three local restaurants (they’ll tell you which ones) and have it delivered straight to your table. Across the street is the Stolen Bell Distillery – the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail in a lounge setting. For those who love to sit outside, the fire tables make cool evenings inviting – another great way to soak up the cozy season in Golden.
I also recommend picking up to go food from one of the local restaurants or a bottle of wine and dinner fixings at the grocery store. Head back to your cozy abode in Golden, pour a glass of wine with dinner and then light a bonfire, and soak up the beauty of the dark night skies.
Restaurants in downtown Golden giving off a cozy vibe – Photo credit: Tourism Golden
Golden, BC is made for cozy season
If you’re craving mountain scenery, crisp air, and cozy moments, Golden, BC is one of the top places to visit in the Canadian Rockies in fall. The town slows down just enough to let you soak in its charm and enjoy the beauty of the region. After a few days you’ll feel like you’ve had the mountains to yourself and experienced Golden at its coziest.
More great things to do within a few hours of Golden
A big thank you to Tourism Golden for hosting my stay. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
Unesco World Heritage Website– Dholavira Our journey began from Narayan Sarovar, on the western edge of India, driving towards Dholavira through the fascinating Kadhiya Dhroh canyon. By late evening, we reached the well-known 31 km roadway, often called the”roadway to heaven,”which links Khadir Bet Island to the mainland. Dholavira is uniquely located on an island surrounded by the beautiful white stretch of the Rann of Kutch. 
Increasing above the ground with tank in front To a visitor, the very first striking feature is the imposing castle rising above ground level. Standing before the east entrance at daybreak, it advised me of the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, a website I had likewise gone to early in the early morning. The citadel has major four gates aligned with the cardinal directions. The northern gate once included a massive wood door and a large signboard with 10 letters– possibly the earliest known signboard worldwide. Although the script stays undeciphered, some scholars think interpretations are possible. 
Dholavira North Gate Sign Board recreated at a resort We entered through this north gate; the signboard is now maintained in a museum. Eviction passageway is flanked by chambers likely occupied by guards. A staircase, presently a momentary wood structure for visitors’ security, causes the leading where the complete website shows up against the sky. 
Bhoonga design circular real estate The east gate most likely led directly to the castle, with limestone pillars quarried 2-3 km away still noticeable. Throughout Indus websites, spaces tend to be especially small, leading me to question whether they acted as residences or storage spaces for trading items. Adjacent to the west gate lies a bead factory, which might have worked as an administrative or industrial office. The western castle location, called Bailey or Upa-Prasad in Hindi, was most likely home to the non-royal elite. Close-by stand four square granaries. 
On top of the Website– A pillar, A Stepwell and a Well As you go into, a massive water tank with staircases coming down 30 steps at 3 corners stands out. The tank includes rock-cut wells and stone actions, possibly the earliest models of stepwells like Rani Ki Vav. Nearby, a unicorn figurine suggests the tank’s ritualistic value to the people. Atop the site are two large stepwells and a round well, the latter measuring 4 meters in size– possibly the biggest well discovered in Indus Valley sites. Rope marks on a stone slab indicate usage of a pulley system to draw water. 
Connected water tanks at Dholavira Many fascinating are the southern water management tanks– a sequence of five interconnected reservoirs for storing and filtering water. The first 2 tanks handle desilting, the main third tank is three times bigger than the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, and the 4th tank features a ramp for wheeled carriage gain access to reminiscent of Surajkund. The fifth tank channels water to western tanks. 
Dancing Woman, Pottery and the Eastern Gate of Dholavira