A free Jeffco Open Space nature center on a mountaintop above Golden. It has a social story you can read before you go, a backpack of sensory items to check out at the welcome desk, and a touch table, a practice campsite and a play room for kids.
Sensory supports. Free, social story, sensory backpack.
Hours
Nature center: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 10 am to 4 pm; closed Tuesday to Thursday. Preserve trails: daily, one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
“At the Nature Center, they have backpacks that visitors can checkout and use during their visit. One focuses on nature and hiking, and the other has sensory items. I can stop by the welcome desk if I am interested in using these tools.”
“The Nature Center plays ambient nature sounds on overhead speakers during visiting hours. They are soft sounds, but I can always take a break in the Activity Room or outside if needed.”
“The green sticker means I can touch it.” “The red stickers on the exhibit remind me not to touch the display to help preserve it.”
The social story is a free PDF on the center's page.
The center displays taxidermy (preserved real animals). The social story says some people enjoy seeing them up close and others do not, and you can take a break.
Restrooms and a water station are down the hallway next to the welcome desk.
Inside: a touch table with antlers, furs and skulls, a tent with sleeping bags to practice camping, a room with animal puppets and books, and an Activity Room for art.
Picnic tables sit outside, where many of the preserve's trails start. The nature center is ADA compliant, including entrances, restrooms and parking.
“Cell phones rarely work on Lookout Mountain.” Phone 720-497-7600.
