Entry No. 1 — the Boulder file — filed under: speakeasy-bar
Gold Hill Inn
The pavement quits partway up the canyon, and when the washboard levels out you are in Gold Hill — population a couple hundred — where Frank and Barbara Finn started serving six-course dinners in 1962 inside a 1924 log dining hall built for the Bluebird Lodge, an 1872 hotel turned vacation retreat for Chicago working women. Their sons run it now: three stone fireplaces, a potbellied stove, bluegrass on weekends, and a menu that rotates through venison, rabbit, and duck.
The story
Ten miles and three thousand vertical feet above Boulder, the asphalt vanishes into washboard gravel, cutting off the college town below. In 1872, prospectors put up the Wentworth Hotel in what was Colorado’s first permanent mountain mining camp. By 1920, a protégé of social reformer Jane Addams purchased the building and renamed it the Bluebird Lodge, turning it into a summer retreat for working-class Chicago women—mostly teachers and nurses escaping Midwest factories and urban heat. To feed them, the lodge added an expansive log dining hall next door in 1924.
The modern chapter started in 1962 when Frank Finn, a former YMCA caretaker and chemist, and his wife Barbara, a social worker, bought the pair of historic log structures. Inspired by a line from an 1889 Eugene Field poem written about the hotel ("Casey's Table d'Hote"), Barbara decided an isolated mountain outpost with no paved access was the exact right place to run a traditional multi-course, fixed-price French table d'hôte. Six decades later, their sons Chris and Brian Finn still run the operation, serving six-course dinners of venison, rabbit, duck, and trout inside a dining room warmed by three stone fireplaces and a central potbellied stove.
You didn't hear it from us, but very little about this place makes sense under standard business logic. The town has a couple hundred residents, unpaved dirt streets, and no municipal water grid, while the steepest approach via Lickskillet Road is reputedly the steepest unpaved county road in the country. Yet from late spring through the holidays, crowds rattle up the canyons to sit at heavy timber tables, finish off six courses of game, and pack into the snug lounge for live bluegrass.
What it's like
Arriving in Gold Hill feels less like visiting a restaurant and more like rolling into a preserved 1850s mining settlement. You'll park along the dirt road, step past the screen door, and be met by the scent of woodsmoke, draft beer, and slow-roasting meat. The dining hall is cozy and dark, with staff bringing rustic bread on wooden cutting boards alongside six courses of mountain fare. After dinner, the crowd shifts to the barroom stage, throwing coats over wooden chairs to stake out a spot before bluegrass musicians play beside the potbellied stove. If you're heading up in uncertain weather, skip Lickskillet Road and Sunshine Canyon's shaded dirt drop-offs—locals know icy mountain roads send unprepared vehicles sliding off the grade before the night is out.
The move: Book the six-course dinner for early evening, drive up Sunshine Canyon while there is still light, then stay for the bluegrass set by the potbellied stove before easing back down the dirt road under actual stars.
📍 Before you go Both approaches from Boulder — Sunshine Canyon, or Lefthand Canyon via the famously steep Lickskillet grade — turn to dirt before town; fine for any car when dry, worth checking after snow. The inn runs seasonally from late spring through the holidays and dining-room tables book out, especially on live-music nights, so reserve ahead; the bar lounge and beer garden are first-come. Park along Main Street and pair dinner with a stroll past the 1859 mining camp survivors, including the Bluebird Lodge next door.
- 📍 Gold Hill
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 401 Main St, Gold Hill, CO 80302
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Gold Hill General Store and Pub — Just down Main Street, this daytime general store serves up baked goods, burgers, and cold beers as an easy casual contrast to the Inn's evening six-course feast.
- Gold Hill Historic District (Colorado's First Mining Town) — Pair your meal with a pre-dinner stroll through Colorado's oldest permanent mountain mining camp to see surviving 1859 log cabins and historic mining sites.
- Jamestown Mercantile — Over in neighboring Jamestown, 'the Merc' offers another rustic, community-run mountain venue with live music and local food inside an 1896 former Elks Lodge.
- Ward Townsite & Derelict Car Collection — A quick drive further up into the high country brings you to Ward, an eccentric mountain outpost known for its high altitude and collection of decaying vintage cars parked along dirt lanes.
Good to know
How do I get to Gold Hill Inn from Boulder?
Take Sunshine Canyon Drive west from Boulder or head up Lefthand Canyon to Lickskillet Road. Both routes turn to dirt before town, so drive carefully or check conditions after winter weather.
Do I need reservations for dinner?
Yes. Dining room tables for the six-course meal book out quickly, especially on live music nights, so reserve ahead. The bar lounge and beer garden operate on a first-come basis.
When is the inn open during the year?
The inn runs seasonally from late spring through the winter holidays, closing down for deep winter before reopening in May.
What kind of food is served?
The kitchen serves a fixed-price six-course menu that rotates regularly, featuring hearty mountain game like venison, rabbit, duck, and rainbow trout.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Westword · denver7.com · Yelp · cbsnews.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-11