The best time of year to visit Golden, BC.
I’ve lived in Golden my entire life, so I feel like the perfect person to be writing this blog post for this gem of a town, Golden, BC. It’s a beautiful little town with so much to see and do, it’s not perfect of course, and each season brings with it some challenges. What are your goals for visiting? I’ll talk about the good, the bad, and the buzzing (if you know, you know).
First, we are going to talk about my favourite season, and my personal choice for when you should visit Golden.
Springtime.
I’m not talking about the melty, sludgy, stinkiness of early springtime. I’m talking late Spring, which effectively begins mid April, but is best between May-June. You can expect gorgeous weather during this time of year, with temperatures around 15-18 degrees in the sunshine for May, and 20+ for June.
If you’re looking for THE single best week to visit Golden, it would be early-mid June, before the mosquitos really come out (this typically happens around the 3rd week of June).
June is the best month to visit the area. The weather is warm, bugs aren’t out in full force, everything is open, people are happy, and fire season hasn’t started up yet. It also just so happens that my birthday is smack dab in the middle of June, but I’m sure this is purely coincidence that it’s my favourite month here in the valley.
This is also the best time of year to come and get your family photos taken in the beautiful rocky mountains.
Next up is:
Summer
What to expect?
Well, I promised to be honest, so honest I’ll be.
Expect bugs.
Not just little buzzing bugs that you have to swat away randomly, I’m talking bugs in your eyes, bugs in your nose, bugs where you’ve never had bugs be before, and usually smoke too. By bugs, I mean mosquitoes. The most blood-thirsty, aggressive mosquitoes you’ve met in your life.
Remember that passage in the bible when Moses warns the Pharaoh, and he sends all the things? It’s like that.
Don’t even look at the forest, don’t stay near water. You might as well just stay inside.
Am I being dramatic? Not this time. Locals have PTSD, and any that tell you the summer is great in Golden, don’t actually stay in Golden during the summer.
Now, I think the town of Golden is working to control this little (swarm) of a problem. If you must travel to Golden in July, bring a mesh bug suit, the heaviest duty bug spray you can legally purchase, a thermacell, and as much Benadryl as you can purchase without raising suspicion.
August is usually a little better for the mosquitos as things dry out and turn just a little crispy.
If you’re wanting a summer month to come and visit, mid August would be my choice.
Autumn
Autumn in Golden is stunning. It’s my second favourite time of year (very closely behind Spring).
Nighttime temperatures start dropping mid-end of August and it starts feeling a little more like Fall, but it’s not in full effect until September and October. You can expect warm daytime temps, cold nights, lots of fog, and more mosquitoes. The dreaded mozzies don’t go away until we get some hard frosts sometime in October. The trees are stunning, some flowers are usually still in bloom, and you can enjoy a cozy cup of something warm at one of the many cozy cafe’s, or on the deck of the perfect air bnb. Be aware that precipitation starts back up during these months and things can get very wet and dreary.
Photos during these months are stunning. The greens are a little less green, and you have those warm fall colours of yellows, oranges, and reds. You can’t go wrong with visiting Golden in the fall.
Winter
I’m not going to talk much about winter here. Winter here in Golden is popular for one reason. The skiing. Cold winter temperatures start in November, but the snow in the valley doesn’t usually start sticking until December.
Families can still get away with photos in November, and I’ve had many happy clients in this month. As you move closer to the colder months, expect rosy cheeks and red noses in your pictures!
From December-Feb, temperatures are pretty cold, and outdoor photo shoots can be doable if kept short, with lots of breaks for warming with a fire and/or those pocket warmers! The mountains look beautiful covered in a soft blanketing of snow.
During these months, however, many clients prefer indoor shoots at a local short-term rental.
Additional info:
I know a lot of folks have their hearts set on being outside for photos, but some of my favourite photoshoots have been inside. I’ll share a collection of some of my favourite indoor images here for you to browse through and ease your heart and mind if you decide to visit and weather is uncooperative but you’d still cherish these keepsake images.
