Golden

Where five national parks meet — the adventure capital of the Canadian Rockies.

Golden sits at the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia rivers, surrounded by five national parks — Yoho, Kootenay, Banff, Glacier, and Mount Revelstoke — making it one of the most extraordinarily positioned adventure towns in Canada. The Kicking Horse River here is one of the finest whitewater rafting rivers in BC, with Class IV rapids that draw paddlers from around the world. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, perched above the town, offers some of the most challenging and rewarding ski terrain in Canada — steep, deep, and consistently excellent. The resort's Eagle's Eye Restaurant, accessible by gondola, is the highest restaurant in Canada and offers panoramic views of the Columbia Valley and the surrounding peaks that are simply unforgettable. In summer, Golden transforms into a mountain biking and hiking destination of the first order. The Moonraker trail system is one of the finest in the Kootenays, and the surrounding national parks offer hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on Earth. The Columbia River wetlands, just south of town, are one of the most important inland wetland ecosystems in North America and a world-class birdwatching destination with over 260 species recorded.