Explore one of Colorado's geologic wonders: the beautiful red sandstones of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Learn about the depositional history of these exceptional rocks as well as the younger sandstones which lie above them. Also study how the rocks were deformed by the uplift of the Rocky Mountains 75 million years ago.

This car tour will take you to some of the best geologic points of interest in and around Golden. With a professional geologist as a guide, you will learn about the depositional and tectonic events that formed the Rocky Mountains. Stops to view the Front Range stratigraphy, ancient metamorphic rocks intruded by granite pegmatites, and Tertiary volcanic flows. ​

On this interpretive geology hike we will walk 2.5 miles through the volcanic rocks of Golden's North Table Mountain, accompanied by an experienced geologist who will teach you all about the rocks and the geologic history of the Rocky Mountains.  These rocks formed from lava flows that erupted out of a volcano over 60 million years ago! You will learn to identify rocks and minerals and see details in the rocks that would never be obvious to the untrained eye. The hike ends at a site where geodes with zeolite crystals can be viewed within the rocks! With an experienced geologist as your teacher and guide, your hike will be an entirely different experience than if you went to the park alone.

The hike will initially take visitors along the Canyon View Trail. Along with picturesque views of the Castlewood Canyon, the story hidden in the rocks will be told. We will discuss the uplift and creation of our modern Rockies, destructive volcanic eruptions, and Colorado as a tropical rainforest! The second part of the hike descends towards the river valley itself via the Inner Canyon Trail, where the rocks get more mysterious. At the culmination of the hike, we visit the ruins of Castlewood Dam. We learn the story of its construction, demise, and how water, rocks, and society all intertwine!