Lookout Mountain

William Frederick Cody, known the world over as Buffalo Bill, was a Pony Express rider, army scout, and buffalo hunter who became one of the most famous entertainers on earth with his traveling Wild West show, a spectacle of riding, shooting, and staged frontier drama that toured America and Europe for decades. When he died in Denver in 1917, he was buried atop Lookout Mountain, a site he was said to have chosen for its sweeping view.

The grave, marked by a simple stone on the summit, remains a place of pilgrimage, and a museum beside it tells the story of Cody's life and the myth of the Wild West he helped create, along with genuine artifacts and a more complicated look at the history behind the legend. The location, high above the plains he once rode, gives the site a fitting grandeur, and the view alone is worth the trip.

The great draw of Lookout Mountain, apart from its history, is the panorama. From the summit and its overlooks, the whole Front Range unfolds, with Golden nestled in its valley on Clear Creek directly below, Denver and its skyline spread across the plains to the east, and the foothills rising in waves toward the snowcapped peaks of the Continental Divide to the west. On a clear evening the city lights spreading below are a favorite sight.

You can reach the top by car on the winding scenic road, part of the historic Lariat Loop, or earn the view on foot by hiking the Chimney Gulch trail up from Golden, a steep and popular climb favored by local hikers and trail runners. Either way, the summit rewards you with one of the most complete views of where the plains meet the mountains anywhere along the Front Range.

Lookout Mountain is more than a viewpoint and a grave. A nature center on the mountain interprets the ecology of the foothills, where the grassland of the plains gives way to the ponderosa pine forest of the mountains, a transition zone rich in plants and wildlife. Exhibits and short trails introduce the mule deer, birds, and other creatures that live in this meeting place of ecosystems.

Trails lace the mountain and the surrounding open space, from gentle nature loops to the demanding climb up from Golden, making it a favorite for hiking, trail running, and simply walking among the pines with the view at your feet. The mix of easy access and real foothills nature is part of what makes the mountain such a well-loved local escape.

At the foot of the mountain lies Golden, a historic town on Clear Creek that once served as the territorial capital of Colorado and retains a lively, walkable downtown with a famous arched welcome sign over its main street. It is home to the Colorado School of Mines and its excellent geology museum, and to a well-known brewery whose sprawling works sit along the creek.

Golden makes an ideal base for a visit to Lookout Mountain and the surrounding foothills, with tubing and trails along Clear Creek, easy access to the Lariat Loop scenic drive, and the nearby Dinosaur Ridge and Red Rocks just to the south. Between the town, the mountain, and the history on its summit, the area packs a lot into a small corner of the Front Range.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.