Serving the community since 1866
WEEK OF JANUARY 23, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 4
$2
Golden’s Heritage Road closed at West Colfax Avenue for 3 months Roundabout will also be built at intersection this summer BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
in the mountains frequently. However, as she’s not able to hike at the level she used to, she said the Golden Walks group has been a good middle ground — almost literally — between the mountains and walking around Denver. Even though the group meets in the same spot every week, between the time of year, the weather and other factors, Schott said “every day is different.” Rowe said one highlight about walking through Clear Creek Canyon is the abundance of flora and fauna. On its weekly walks, the group has seen bighorn sheep, a marmot and all sorts of birds. On Jan. 15, the eagle-eyed members spotted two separate herds of deer high up on the hills. Plus, Rowe continued, several members have expertise in birds and botany and are always willing to share their knowledge with the group.
Commuting along Heritage Road at West Colfax Avenue will be tricky this winter, as the intersection is completely closed for a culvert replacement project. The intersection is set to reopen in April, weather permitting, Golden officials confirmed. This is the first step in a multiyear construction project along the West Colfax Avenue corridor. During the closure, traffic is being rerouted along Fourth Avenue and Zeta Street. Motorists can still access the Apex Park trailhead from southbound Heritage Road. As of midday Jan. 10, many motorists were still getting used to the road closure. Despite nearby signage, motorists on southbound Heritage Road and both sides of Colfax Avenue were flustered by the closure, as evidenced by the dozens of vehicles turning around in nearby parking lots and streets. While it was previously illegal to turn left from eastbound Colfax Avenue onto Zeta Street, left turns are being allowed during construction. In fact, signage designates it as the official detour. Golden Public Works Director Anne Beierle said the “no left turn” signs have been temporarily removed during the Heritage Road closure. The Colorado Department of Transportation hasn’t allowed left turns onto Zeta Street during previous closures, she said, forcing drivers to get creative by turning around at local businesses and parking lots. Golden Police Department leaders confirmed officers won’t be enforcing left turns onto Zeta Street as a traffic infraction during the Heritage Road closure.
SEE GOLDEN WALKS, P4
SEE ROAD CLOSED, P5
On Jan. 15, Golden Walks members Carolyn Rowe, foreground left, and Sylvia McGee, foreground right, talk as they and their friends walk through Clear Creek Canyon Park. Barring inclement weather, the group meets at 9 a.m. every Wednesday at the park’s Gateway Trailhead. PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
‘Community, outdoors, exercise’ Golden Walks group helping Jeffco residents stay physically, socially active BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Wednesdays are for walking. Every week, a group of Jefferson County residents meet at Clear Creek Canyon Park’s Gateway Trailhead and spend about 90 minutes walking along the creek — either up the canyon past Tunnel 1 or down into Golden. As they walk, they chat about all sorts of things, stopping occasionally to admire the area’s flora, fauna and views. Each person walks at their own pace and goes as far as they want to, but the group overall tries to get in about 2 miles. As Lakewood’s Linda Schmidt summarized, the group is centered on “community, outdoors, exercise.” This is the informal Golden Walks group, formerly Walk2Connect, which was started by Golden’s Betty and Harold Payte several years ago. Arvada’s Carolyn Rowe took over the
group from the Paytes in 2020, keeping Golden Walks going through word-ofmouth and a group text thread. The group meets at 9 a.m. every Wednesday unless there’s inclement weather or the path is icy, Rowe said. It used to meet at the Golden Welcome Center, but parking downtown became too complicated this summer with the new paid-parking restrictions, she said. So, the group has started meeting at the Gateway Trailhead on the southwest corner of Highway 58 and U.S. Highway 6. Participation is free and open to everyone. Rowe said people are welcome to join every week or only on occasion. As of its Jan. 15 outing, Golden Walks regular members are mostly women and mostly retirees. However, they hail from all over Jeffco, not just Golden. The group also has at least one member who treks in from Denver County. Sarah Schott, who lives in Denver’s Westwood area, said she used to hike
WESTMINSTER
MINSTER
WINDOW
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12 | SPORTS: 14 | CALENDAR: 15
WINDOW
GOLDENTRANSCRIPT.NET • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA