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The Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway is a scenic drive that begins and ends in the city of Golden, Colorado.
Overview of the Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway
The Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway combines nature, history, scenery, and entertainment in the many possible stops along the way. The 40-mile (64 kilometer) drive passes through three towns and makes for a nice full day of activities. The route has been promoted as a tourist destination since 1914. Check the official website for more info.
We drove the loop counter-clockwise after a day of sightseeing in Golden. Due to our late start, a lot of places were closed, but we still enjoyed the experience.
Lookout Mountain
From downtown Golden, we found 19th Street and followed it until it turns into Lookout Mountain Road. As we wound our way up the mountain, we made a few stops to take pictures of the incredible view of Golden.
Buffalo Bill Museum
The first major stop is the Buffalo Bill Museum, which chronicles the life of legendary Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors age 65+, $1 for kids age 6-17, and free for kids under 6 (as of April 2025). It’s open daily from May 20 to October 31 and closed Mondays the rest of the year.
The museum features many original items from Buffalo Bill’s personal collection and the Wild West show, including his show costume and desk. One section is dedicated to Sitting Bull (1831–1890), the Hunkapapa Lakota leader who joined the show in 1885.
Overall, the Buffalo Bill Museum is very interesting with thorough information, and there are some fun interactive displays as well.
Pahaska Tepee
Near the museum is a large gift shop, the Pahaska Tepee, which sells kitschy Wild West memorabilia and Buffalo Bill souvenirs. There’s also a small café in the back. From the parking lot, you can see Denver.
Grave of Buffalo Bill Cody
Down a short path from the Pahaska Tepee is the grave of Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), who’s buried alongside his wife, Louisa Maud Cody (1844–1921). It’s decorated with several different memorial plaques.
Buffalo Bill’s burial at Lookout Mountain was very controversial. It’s said that he told friends and family members many times that he wished to be buried there, but many others believed he should be buried in the town he founded — Cody, Wyoming. The controversy continued for many years after his death and still pops up once in a while.
Boettcher Mansion
Nearby, is Boettcher Mansion, which was a summer home and hunting lodge built in 1917 for businessman Charles Boettcher (1852–1948). It was designed by Fisher & Fisher, who used native stone and timber from the site in its construction. Free self-guided tours are available Monday through Thursday from 8am to 4pm (as of April 2025), but we were a bit late. It’s a good idea to call ahead and make sure the mansion isn’t closed for a private event.
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
We ended up skipping several stops until we reached Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. It’s a nature park full of great hiking trails and rock formations along with a concert venue. The amphitheatre, operated by the City of Denver has a capacity of around 9,500. Construction began in 1936 and it opened on June 15, 1941, with a performance by Helen Jepson (1904–1997).
Red Rocks Park, also owned by the City of Denver, was a favorite campsite of the Ute people. In 1820, Stephen Harriman Long (1784–1864) was the first non-Native person to visit the site. The earliest known name is the Garden of the Angels, reportedly given by Martin Van Buren Luther on July 4, 1870, and the first owner was Marion Burtz in 1872. Burtz sold the property to Leonard Eichholz (1827–1911), who developed it into a park in 1878. John Brisben Walker (1847–1931) purchased the park in 1906 and began organizing concerts on a temporary platform. It was officially named Red Rocks Park when the City of Denver acquired the property in 1928.
We weren’t able to get into the park because of a concert, but the little scenery we saw was still phenomenal. I can imagine how amazing of a setting it would be for a concert. Anyway, there are free guided and self-guided tours of the amphitheatre available daily (as of April 2025). There’s also a visitor center, trading post, hall of fame, and art exhibits. Admission and parking are free (as of April 2025).
Morrison, Colorado
Nearby is the small town of Morrison, which features a nice a mountain backdrop. Named after George Morrison (1822–1895), who platted the townsite in 1874, it features lots of restaurants and shops along the main roads. It was getting a bit late, otherwise we probably would have stayed and had dinner.
Dinosaur Ridge
One of the stops we weren’t able to visit on our way back to Golden is Dinosaur Ridge, an outdoor museum containing dinosaur tracks and fossils still in the rocks. They were discovered by Arthur Lakes (1844–1917), a professor at Jarvis Hall (now the Colorado School of Mines), in 1876. Lakes sent them to paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh (1831–1899) at Yale College (now Yale University), who named several dinosaurs from the fossils, including the stegosaurus, apatosaurus, diplosaurus, and atlantosaurus. Road construction in 1937 exposed the first dinosaur tracks at the site, mostly from the iguanodon. The visitor center opened on October 22, 1996.
Dinosaur Ridge is open daily. Admission is $20 for adults, $14 for kids, and free for kids under 3 (as of April 2025). Tickets include a 45-minute guided shuttle tour. There are also a few guided walking tours on Saturdays and Sundays that can be reserved in advance.
