North Table Loop - 5.9 Miles Round-Trip

North Table Mountain Park is located on the east side of Highway 93 in Golden, CO. It covers 2000 acres of mixed grass prairie and a 500' tall mesa near the foothills.

The mesa core was formed by lava flows that emanated from the Ralston Dike two miles away. Sedimentary deposits that once covered this hardened lava have eroded, resulting in the steep-sided formation we see today.

Mule deer, coyote, rabbit, prairie dogs and rattlesnakes inhabit the grasslands, while eagles, hawks and falcons nest in vertical cliffs along the mesa rim. Spring-fed ponds draw waterfowl, and form luxuriant riparian corridors that slice down the mountain into the plains.

A network of multi-use trails circle Table Mountain and criss-cross the mesa top. The North Table Trail, Mesa Top Trail, and Tilting Mesa Trail form a diverse loop around, up and back down the mountain.

The following description travels clockwise on the North Table Loop:

The North Table Trail rolls through open grasslands at the mountain's base to the Mesa Spur Trail (1.85 miles : 5,967'). You'll pass multiple marked trail splits en route, and remain on the North Table Trail in each instance. Look for wildlife along riparian corridors that flow from the mesa top into this open space.

The trail bends sharply northeast from the Mesa Spur on a sloping hillside dotted with large boulders evidencing the area's volcanic origin. The trail undulates on single track to the Mesa Top Trail split (3.2 miles : 6,060'); bear right for a short, steep climb to the mesa top.

Examine the mesa's hardened capstone, and look for raptors along these inaccessible cliffs.

The Mesa Top Trail abruptly levels in open space and curls west through the heart of the mesa top (3.65 miles : 6,365'). Travel quickens on wide, packed dirt with long views across the eastern plains, Golden foothills, Lookout Mountain and Golden Gate Canyon State Park.

Continue past Rim Rock Trail (4.1 miles : 6,485') to the Tilting Mesa Trail split and bear left (4.2 miles : 6,470'). Ignore unmarked spurs that skirt a large, spring-fed pond that hosts waterfowl.

Continue west to the Tilting Mesa - North Table Trail split (5.3 miles : 6,478'), where you'll bear right on wide rough pour and drop 450' back to the trailhead to complete the loop (5.9 miles : 6,030').