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Think back on your childhood. You probably didn’t spend much time at playgrounds because your neighborhood was your playground. Entire days would be spent outside playing games and running around with friends. Thirsty? Take a hit off the hose and keep going. Around dinner time, you’d wander back home tired, hungry and happy.

It’s a different world for children today. Many don’t have free reign to disappear outside for hours like in generations past. They do, however, have access to amazing, state-of-the-art playgrounds to slide, swing, spin and climb until their hearts are content.

As a family town, Golden has no shortage of playgrounds. From tiny neighborhood swingsets to towering multilevel structures, you’ll find cool parks for children of all ages. In this post, we’ll share a few of our favorites and reveal the one playground that (literally) stands above the rest.

And be sure to check out the Golden playground map at the end of the post!

Five flights of stairs will take you to the top of Golden’s highest slide.

Estates Park

Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood near the Jeffco fairgrounds, Estates Park is worth the excursion. It offers the tallest slides in town which descend from a giant five-story tower. Surrounding the tower are monkey bars, swings, a seesaw and other well-maintained obstacles to keep your kids busy for hours. Next to the playground you’ll find tennis courts, a basketball court, shaded tables, an outhouse and plenty of soft grass with nice mountain views.

Location: 16169 W Ellsworth Dr, Golden

Lions Park is a community hangout and fun for children of all ages.

Lions Park

Lions Park is the quintessential Golden playground. Centrally located between the Golden Community Center and Clear Creek, the Lions Park playground offers good times for children of all ages. Next to the small structure for little ones, the main structure includes a tall spiral slide, plenty of ladders and all the features you’d expect from a modern playground. A sand volleyball court, large grass field and covered pavilion are nearby … and should the weather turn sour, a free indoor playground is available in the community center.

Location: 1300 10th Street, Golden

Soft sand and low features make Ulysses Park perfect for young ones.

Ulysses Park

Grab your skateboard, baseball gear and Golden retriever and head down to Ulysses Park for a fun afternoon with the family. Don’t forget your kids either, as a small playground is available for the young ones to enjoy. This sprawling public space in south Golden is home to a skate park, dog park, ball fields, flushing toilets and a scenic Golden background. The playground itself features soft sand and a short climbing ladder perfect for toddlers.  

Location: 1213 Ulysses Street, Golden

Like many parks in Golden, Beverly Heights Park offers sweet views of Golden.

Beverly Heights Park

Newly built in 2014, this ADA accessible playground in Beverly Heights Park features a hollow, multilevel tree structure (complete with a bear … raaaar!) that will delight your wee ones. There is also a swinging bench, spider web rope play area and a handful of slides. Aside from the playground, this gorgeous neighborhood park at the bottom of Lookout Mountain offers picnic tables, shady trees, an outhouse and a nice covered pavilion for gatherings. Note: the playground is a five-minute walk from the parking lot, so leave your kettlebells in the car.

Location: 2151 Lookout Mountain Road, Golden

Age zones at White Ash Mine Park cater to kids of all sizes and abilities.

White Ash Mine Park

This sandy playground at White Ash Mine Park offers “age zones” which cater to both toddlers and big kids alike. When your brood grows weary of the slides and swings, there’s an enormous multi-purpose grassy field – encircled by a walking track – perfect for frisbee throwing, picnics and soccer games. You’ll also find a drinking fountain, outhouse and pavilion nearby. The best playground access is street parking at the bottom of White Ash Mine road.

Location: 255 White Ash Drive, Golden

The colorful playground at Golden Heights Park is fun for kids small and tall. Photo credit

Golden Heights Park

You won’t find swings at Golden Heights Park but you’ll find plenty of slides, climbers and other fun obstacles. Built in 2014, the ADA accessible playground is right off highway 70, which makes it noisy but easily accessible from Denver suburbs. Near the playground, which is good for all ages, you’ll find standard amenities such as a gazebo, basketball court and ballfield. But perhaps the park’s greatest feature is its steep hill perfect for winter sledding. 

Location: W. 2nd Place, Golden

Norman D. Park is Golden’s most unique playground.

Norman D. Park

Of every Golden park, Norman D. Park offers the most interesting features and terrain. Perhaps that explains its high Google rating. The northernmost park on our list, Norman D. Park has a futuristic playground with spin buckets, a flexible balance beam, an enormous spider web and the best climbing boulder in town. It also features a greenway for biking and a gentle stream for rock tossing. If you haven’t been here, definitely check this place out!

Location: 698 North Ford Street, Golden

Denver’s new Paco Sanchez Park is mindblowing and futuristic. Photo credit

Bonus: Paco Sanchez Park

While this mindblowing playground isn’t officially in Golden, it’s too cool not to mention. Half playground, half amusement park, this newly-opened gem west of downtown Denver features a “Mic Tower,” a large climbing structure that resembles a vintage microphone and stands nearly 30-feet tall. Paco Sanchez isn’t great for toddlers, but big kids will run wild as they explore countless features and innovative play areas. Check out this short video for a preview.

Location: 1290 Knox Court, Denver

Golden Playground map

See a place you like? Find it on our Golden playground map!