Visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens at Mount Goliath
I first learned of the Mount Goliath Natural Area from the "Other Locations" page on the Denver Botanic Gardens site. It mentioned that it was the highest cultivated garden in the United States and I was intrigued. Then when I learned that the road to it would be closed throughout all of 2025 I knew I had to make the trip. I still didn't really know what it was of course, but hey, it was only an hour outside of Denver so might as well check it out!
Getting There and Timed Entry
There are a few important things to note about getting to Mount Goliath:
- It is at high elevation and you must drive on Mt. Blue Sky Scenic Byway which is typically only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day (depending on snow)
- You must purchase a timed entry ticket ahead of time to enter. These are available from Recreation.gov and (in 2024) were $2 + a $15 entry fee (waived if you have a National Park Pass). I recommend getting one for the 8-10am arrival time slot because the weather is typically nicer in the mornings.
Once you arrive at Mount Goliath you can park at the Dos Chappell Nature Center. The lot has a decent number of parking spots available. I didn't count, but there had to have been at least ten and we had no trouble parking on a Saturday morning (the parking lot at Summit Lake was much busier).
What to do at Mount Goliath
At Mount Goliath you'll find the Dos Chappell Nature which has a few exhibits, a National Park Passport stamp station, and a couple pit toilets. Just in back of it you'll find the gardens and the start of the M. Walter Pesman Trail.
The gardens are maintained by a partnership between the Denver Botanic Gardens and U.S. Forest Service and showcase a variety of local alpine plants and feature the largest grove of bristlecone pines in Colorado. The views here are beautiful and it was definitely worth checking out.
We also hiked a small portion of the M. Walter Pesman Trail as well. It's only 2.3 miles there and back, but it can get strenuous since you're starting at nearly 11,000 feet. We decided to turn around halfway due to severe weather being forecasted.
Denver Botanic Gardens at Mount Goliath and the M. Walter Pesman Trail
Gear
There are minimal facilities available at Mount Goliath (and Mt. Blue Sky in general) so I recommend bringing lots of water and some snacks / lunch with you. The garden itself has gravel walkways and the trails are moderately rugged so you'll want to bring suitable shoes. We wore light hiking boots, but trail runners would have been more than fine as well.
It was also a bit chilly due to the altitude. Despite being in the 90s in the front-range the temperature at Mount Goliath and Summit Lake was in the low 50s.
Since we had our 11-month old baby with us we decided to pack our Osprey Poco Plus backpack carrier. I'm a big fan of this carrier – it's comfortable to carry, comfortable to ride in, and it has a built-in sunshade which is crucial for warding off the harsh Colorado sun.
We also brought our Tush Baby hip carrier. It honestly didn't get a ton of use this trip, but it did come in handy for holding her while eating our PB&Js out of the back of our Jeep.
Other Things to See
Since we had driven all of the way to Mount Goliath and had purchased a timed entry ticket to the whole area we decided to keep going up the road to check out Summit Lake and the summit itself.
Mt. Blue Sky Scenic Byway
Just driving up the road was an adventure in itself. The road was a bit harrowing at times, but awesome all the same. There were a lot of pot holes and crumbling shoulders so I can see why it will be closed for repairs in 2025. Check out my video below to see what the descent from Summit Lake back to Idaho Springs was like.
Summit Lake
About halfway up the road between Mount Goliath and the Summit you'll fine Summit Lake. There is a large parking lot here, but it was pretty full. We were lucky to get a spot as someone was leaving. In addition to beautiful views, there are a few trailheads here. You'll definitely want to get out and walk a quarter of a mile to the Chicago Lakes overlook!
Summit Lake and the Chicago Lakes Overlook
The alpine wildflowers were still in bloom in late July and we were lucky enough to spot a big horn sheep on the cliffs overlooking the lakes!
Mt. Blue Sky Summit
We had a cranky baby and it was starting to storm so unfortunately we did not make it to the summit. 🥺 Definitely something I plan on doing in 2026, though!