Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum Open For Business

Photo right: Inside the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum. Photo © Stewart M. Green

I attended the grand opening of the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado on a warm sunny mid-February weekend. All I can say is, “Wow!” The museum is really impressive.

Housed in the old Golden High School, now the headquarters for the American Alpine Club, Colorado Mountain Club, and Outward Bound, it is compact but filled with lots of interesting exhibits that detail the history of American free climbing, Colorado climbing, the famed U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, American expeditions to the big ranges, as well as a scale model of the Mt. Everest region, info on avalanches and rock types, and the threat of global warming on mountain environments.

If you’re going to be in the Denver area, I recommend taking an afternoon to stop by and check out the museum. Afterwards you can take a tour of nearby Coors Brewery or head up to North Table Mountain, Denver’s most popular cliff, or Clear Creek Canyon to stretch your finger tips on a few rock routes. The museum is in the American Mountaineering Center at 710 10th Street, Golden, Colorado.