Fairmount Trail from Golden to Arvada; a great way to commute on foot!

Muddy and flat gravel trail, but it wasn't icy

After starting a hike at Mount Galbraith only to turn around shortly after icy trail conditions stopped me in my tracks.  Since the dogs and I hiked only a short time on the Cedar Gulch Trail, I decided to find another place to hike nearby. 

The dogs and I got back to the car and drove out of the canyon; I decided to turn left or north toward Boulder on 93.  Then I made a right turn at the light 58th street and started hunting for a trail.  I passed an entrance to one of the neighborhoods and noticed a trail, but decided to keep going on 58th.  After a couple of minutes I came across a trail directly across the road; I made a U-turn and parked in a small dirt space beside the road.  Again, I heard the happy whines of two doggies ready to get outside and hike, although this trail is more of a stroll than a mountainous hike, but it wasn't icy and that was good enough for me!  



Getting there:   The Fairmount trail connects from the north side of Table Mountain to W. 64th St in Arvada near the reservoirs.  Click here for the google map and where I parked to start hiking.  Here is the Jefferson County's Open Space information on the Fairmount Trail. 
Specs:  The trail is flat gravel; and easy to walk or bike on.  I am not sure if there are any facilities at either end of the trail, and there are none where I parked on 58th Ave.  It is 3 miles in length, out and back.  

Back toward car views of North Table Mtn

The Hike:  I was glad to find the Fairmount Trail, but it wasn't the hike I was looking for, however I wasn't about to go find another trail so we got out and started walking toward the mountains.  I checked the trail map and it looked like it was about 1 to 1.5 miles to the Arvada Reservoir and I hoped that I could make it there before my 2 o'clock turn around time.  The trail is pretty straight and flat, but after crossing a paved sidewalk connecting two neighborhoods, the path continued uphill and then curves north toward Arvada High School.  The views from the trail were great, mountains everywhere to your west and the city and reservoir to the north and east.  I snapped several shots of the earthy muted landscape and then started back at my turnaround time.  I didn't quite make it to the reservoirs, but it was still a nice path for the dogs and I to walk on.  I only came across one other person along the start of the trail, otherwise it was completely deserted on the warm 65 degree work day.
I'd love to find some more trails in this area; please leave a comment if you know of any! 

Fairmount trail map above, along with other connecting trails.  Click to enlarge photos!

***

Views looking southwest; love that blue sky!