Golden is a small mountain town in southeastern British Columbia, wedged between the Rocky and Purcell ranges at the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia rivers. It is surrounded by six national parks — Yoho, Glacier, Banff, Kootenay, Jasper, and Mount Revelstoke — making it one of the best-positioned adventure bases in the Canadian Rockies.
The town itself is modest, but Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has brought good restaurants and a growing tourism scene to what was once a railway and forestry town. The Eagle's Eye, Canada's highest full-service restaurant at 2,350 metres, is worth the gondola ride for the views alone. In summer, the whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River is some of the best in BC. In winter, the skiing at Kicking Horse is steep, deep, and uncrowded compared to the big Alberta resorts.
The Columbia Wetlands stretching south of town are a prime spot for paddling and wildlife watching, while the Moonraker Trail Network above town offers excellent mountain biking. The Golden Skybridge, which opened in 2021, added Canada's highest suspension bridges to the town's attractions.