North Table Mountain Park

Overview

Steep inclines and sprawling views make the North Table Mountain area a fantastic place to hike, mountain bike, climb or just take in the views. The Front Range stretched out along the North and South all along to the west of the park, while the city of Golden lays just to the south along with the end of the hog back. To the east out into the distance you will have fantastic views of the mesa top and the Denver metro area. All of the trails offer something great to look at, and you will nearly always be far enough away from highways to not be burdened with the sound of traffic. Sunrises and Sunsets from the mesa are spectacular for those with the drive to either get to the top of the mesa early or stay late, just remember that the park opens one hour before sunrise and is closed one hour after sunset.

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17 Miles of Trails

Park Details:

• Hiking
• Mountain Biking
• Centaurs Equestrians
• Rock climbing
• Dogs allowed on a leash
• Weapons are not allowed
• Overnight camping is not permitted
• No drinking or drug use
• Clean odor free restrooms in main parking area
• Drinking water available
• Trails are well marked
• No entrance fees

Emergency contacts:

Jefferson County Sheriff’s office @ (303) 277-0211

If the event is life threatening dial 911

Cottonwood Canyon Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	5 (Moderate)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	5
Distance	1.0 Miles
Time Needed	30 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Mountain Loop, Mesa Top Loop
• No tree cover
• OAB trail

Trailhead: Main parking  (Southbound ) | S- North Table mountain Loop | L – Tilting Mesa Trail | R – Cottonwood Trail

Trail Highlights:

• Views of Denver
• Great views of the Mesa

Review:

Cottonwood Canyon trail is a nice short hike that is not short of views. While the lower sections of the trail are not spectacular you will be hiking in the shadow of the Mesa to the west the entire time which is a very spectacular sight aside from the transmission lines running up the side of the hill. When you near the summit there is a section of the trail that looks like it would be a little on the technical side, but nothing too crazy. The portion of the trail just before you achieve the summit of the mesa however offers the greatest views. There are several nooks on the cliff ledge that are a fantastic spot to stop for a little rest.

North Table Mountain Loop Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	10 (Hard)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	7
Distance	7.4 Miles
Time Needed	275 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: Tilting Mesa trail, Climbing Access, Golden Cliffs trail, Cottonwood trail, Mesa Top trail, Table Rock trail, Mesa Spur, City Of Golden trail
• No tree cover
• There will be shade from the mesa somewhere along the loop though
• Loop Trail

Trailhead: S – Parking lot

Trail Highlights:

• Nice long trail
• Excellent views of Denver and Golden
• Great work out

Review:

This is a great trail if you are looking for an endurance hike or run. Parts of the trail are very steep and there are several areas where you will likely need to walk a mountain bike, but overall the trail is very rideable. This is a very popular trail for mountain biking so if you are hiking be on the lookout for people bombing down the trail which often happens in here. There are not really any trees in the park, but depending on the time of day you may find yourself walking in the shade of the mesa. The views of Denver and Golden on the trail are great for a good portion of the trail and the natural beauty on the south side will almost have you forgetting about the traffic noise from Highway 58. The North side of the loop is fairly flat and not too rocky, with the smell of the horses being nearly as pleasant as the smell of Coors when they are cooking up a fresh batch. If you are not looking to trek the entire nearly seven and a half miles, there are several options to cut the trail into shorter loops.

Fairmount Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	3 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	5
Distance	4.1 Miles
Time Needed

Details:

• Connecting Trails: Lithic trail
• Flat
• No tree cover

Trailhead: Trail starts at off street parking on Easley Road.

Trail Highlights:

• Views of the mesa

Review:

Golden Cliffs Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	7
Distance	1.1 Miles
Time Needed	24 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Mountain, Climbing Access trail, UnNamed City Of Golden trail
• Steep
• No trees

Trailhead: Start from NTMP South trailhead | R Climbing Access Trail | R Golden Cliffs Trail

Trail Highlights:

• Fantastic views of the cliff faces
• Chance to watch people climbing

Review:

The lower portion of the trail is a steep climb in spots with a rather crafty bench to take a rest on along the way. The smell of Coors is strong on this side of the park so depending on the direction of the wind, you may be able to smell the latest creation across Highway 58. The upper portion of the trail climbs to the top of the mesa and hand and foot action may be needed to safely traverse the break in the cliff face that you will need to hike up to get to the upper section of the trail. The Top portion of the trail is flat and has some great views of Denver and Golden. Like the other hikes in the park there are no trees, but you may find some shade when you get near the mesas cliffs.

Climbing Access Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	6 (Moderate)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	5
Distance	0.9 Miles
Time Needed	34 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: Golden Cliffs trail, North Table Loop
• Very rocky
• OAB Trail
• Mountain Biking is not advisable

Trailhead: From the Golden Cliffs parking area | S- Golden Cliffs trail | L – Climbing access trail

Trail Highlights:

• Up Close views of the rock Cliffs
• Great views of Golden

Review:

This is a very popular place to climb and you are very likely to see people getting their climb on. The path that skirts the rock wall is strewn with rocks so while mountain biking is allowed on this trail I would not want to ride it. The trail is moderately steep in places and when you get to the turn to head up onto the top of the mesa there is a section with about a 5 foot rock face that will require you to use 3 point of contact to safely assent the rest of the trail.

Lichen Peak Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	7
Distance	0.2 Miles
Time Needed	6 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails:Tilting Mesa trail
• Hiker Only
• OAB Trail

Trailhead: Main lot  (Southbound) | S – North Table Loop | L – Tilting Mesa | Left – Lichen Peak

Trail Highlights:

• Views of Denver
• Views of Northern Front Range
• Views of the Mesa

Review:

This little rock strewn path has some great views of the area and out onto the mesa top. I would not leave this trail off the list if you are visiting the park. The trail is primarily flat and there is an abundance of lichen growing on the rocks where you reach the small rock tower area of the trail. Views of the Denver area are unobstructed aside for general air pollution.

Tilting Mesa Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	7
Distance	0.9 Miles
Time Needed	28 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails:North Table Loop, Lichen Peak, Mesa Top trail
• Fairly flat
• No tree cover
• Wide trail

Trailhead Main lot (Southbound) | S – North Table Loop | L – Tilting Mesa trail:

Trail Highlights:

• Very cool pond that always has lots of birds flying around

Review:

Tilting mesa is a nice short easy trail once you reach the top of the mesa. The views are great right from the get go with a nice little pond that attracts lots of wildlife. Like all the other trails in the park don’t expect to find any shade unless you are willing to crawl under a rock for a little while. The trail is wide flat and has few obstacles so riding on this trail is easy as pie.

Mesa Top Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	7 (Moderate)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	6
Distance	0.9 Miles
Time Needed	50 minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Loop, Tilting Mesa trail
• No tree cover
• Brutally steep in places

Trailhead: Main parking | S – (Northbound) North Table Loop | R – Mesa Top trail

Trail Highlights:

• Very cool pond that always has lots of birds flying around

Review:

Nice wide loose dirt trail that will have you gasping for breath in no time. The entire trail is pretty steep and will definitely give you a workout. The views on this side of the park are not as good as they are on the south side where the rock cliffs are, but the duck pond at the junction with Tilting mesa trail is well worth all the effort you will spend getting up the hill. Hooking this trail up with North Table Loop is a great shorter alternative loop if you are running short on time but still want a great workout.

Rim Rock Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	5 (Moderate)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	7
Distance	1.8 Miles
Time Needed	33 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: Mesa top trail
• No tree cover
• Tall grass
• Fairly flat
• Seasonal closures of this trail occurs from February first until July 31

Trailhead: Main lot North Table Loop (Southbound) | L – Tilting Mesa | L- Rim Rock

Trail Highlights:

• Beautiful Meadows
• Views of Arvada area and out to Denver

Review:

This is one of my favorite trails in the park. While you are not going to be feeling the burn on this easy to hike trail, you will have some spectacular views taking your breath away. The trail starts off meandering through a beautiful meadow of tall grass jam packed with birds, and the trail starts to swing over to an area that overlooks the drop from the mesa. I thoroughly enjoy watching the birds diving near the cliff on the north side of the trail. When you reach the end of the trail where you meet up with the Mesa top trail again, there is a great little gully with a faint waterfall feed from the wetland area on the mesa that feeds the tall grasses growing there.

Lithic Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	5 (Moderate)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	3
Distance	0.2 Miles
Time Needed	6 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails:North Table Loop, Fairmount trail
• No tree cover

Trailhead:Starts at the parking area off Easley Road

Trail Highlights:

• Views of the mesa

Review:

• Short access trail
• Fairly steep

Mesa Spur Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	2
Distance	0.4 Miles
Time Needed	9 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Loop
• Loose dirt trail

Trailhead:Starts on 58th ave.

Trail Highlights:

• Views of the mesa

Review:

This short loose gravel/dirt trail runs between some horse property so the smell, well it’s the smell of used grass. The views of the mesa however are great and if you live in the area this would definitely be a great way to access the trails in the park.

Golden Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	6
Distance	1 Mile
Time Needed	32 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Loop, Golden Cliffs trail
• No tree cover
• Narrow easy to follow trail

Trailhead:Starts at either main parking area or Golden Cliffs parking area

Trail Highlights:

• Views of the cliff face to the mesa

Review:

Great access trail that runs along the west side of the park, the trail is easy to follow but is not marked. Trail runs from near the main lot just up North Table Mountain Loop near the small water tower down to the south parking lot. There are two trail junctions along this trail near the halfway point, one trail leads down to the subdivision and ample on street parking, while the other leads up to the top of the mesa and connects with the North Table Mountain Loop. The connection with the North Table Mountain Loop is not signed at the top, but the path is distinct and easy to follow starting just before the trail junction with Climbing Access, and Golden Cliffs trail.

Table Rock

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	4 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	3
Distance	0.4 Miles
Time Needed	13 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Loop
• Void of trees

Trailhead: Starts of the North Table Loop from either direction

Trail Highlights:

• Crosses over a decent sized bridge

Review:

There is not much to this trail, but there is a sturdy bridge to cross over the small ravine that runs down the side of the mesa. Tablerock will cut off quite a bit of time and a little distance from North Table Loop if you find yourself running short on time however.

North Quarry Trail

Difficulty Rank (1 – 10)	3 (Easy)
Views Rank (1 – 10)	8
Distance	0.3 Miles
Time Needed	10 Minutes

Details:

• Connecting Trails: North Table Loop
• No trees
• Steep drop off on the cliff side

Trailhead: Main parking lot (Southbound) | S – North Table Loop | R – North Quarry trail

Trail Highlights:

• Great views of the Mesa rock formations
• Great views from the Cliffs

Review:

This little trail skirts the cliff face with some sheer dropoffs on the western side and an area where one could walk out and have cliffs on both sides with long drops. There is a large area that is excellent for climbing in this area of the park and it is not uncommon to see people trying their hand at climbing the interior cliff face. The views from the top are great when you are looking down the sheer cliff face, just be careful you don’t slip as the surface at the top can sometimes be loose.