Set against the hogbacks on the west side of the Denver metro area, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden is one of those places that manages to be two things at once: a serious preservation site with a working rail yard, and a family-friendly destination where history feels close enough to touch. The Museum’s 15-acre campus is built around full-size equipment, historic structures, and operating demonstrations that let you experience railroading as something alive—not just something behind glass. And if there’s one weekend (or two) that captures that “living history” spirit better than almost anything else, it’s Wild West Days.
Wild West Days is the Museum’s late-summer celebration of Colorado’s frontier era, blending hands-on activities with the kind of railroading that helped build the West. It’s not a passive event: you’re encouraged to roam the grounds, watch demonstrations, take photos, and—most memorably—ride behind steam power while the Museum turns its railyard into a lively Old West scene.
Wild West Days At The Colorado Railroad Museum
Colorado’s early growth was inseparable from the railroad. Mining booms, new towns, ranching supply lines, and the steady movement of people and goods all depended on rails that pushed deeper into rugged country. The Colorado Railroad Museum exists to preserve and interpret that story, and Wild West Days is essentially an immersive “best of” sampler: the sights and sounds of a working yard, demonstrations that explain how railroads functioned, and themed programming that points to the broader Gold Rush/Old West narrative.
This event is also a reminder that the railroad museum isn’t just a place for static display. The Museum’s timetable emphasizes special events and seasonal rides that often feature steam or historic equipment, and Wild West Days is one of the marquee entries on that calendar.
Experience
While details can vary year to year, the Museum’s published descriptions highlight a core set of activities that define the weekend:…