Hiking in Boulder

by Joseph Kovack
One of Boulder’s greatest attractions is the multitude of hiking trails available within the city limits. The city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department protects and preserves over 45,000 acres of land and 144 miles of trails. Their mission is to sustain these open spaces in Boulder for future generations to enjoy. With the OSMP maintaining the trails and hikers respecting the land by staying on the trails, each trail offers great hikes with scenic views for all levels of hiking experience and intensity.
A must stop for any newcomer to Boulder and even the hiking veteran; Chautauqua Park supplies beautiful scenery with plenty of trails for every skill level. Located on Baseline road at 9th street, Chautauqua Park has lots of open fields for playing frisbee or any leisure activity, and the auditorium has many concerts throughout the summer. Just south of the Chautauqua Auditorium, McClintock Trail is an easy to moderate hike and would be a good trail for anyone visiting Boulder or newly moved who hasn’t been acclimated to the elevation yet. The trail meanders along the forest before meeting up with Mesa trail that goes 6 miles through forests and fields at the base of Flatirons.
Another great moderate level hike is Mount Sanitas, located just west of 4th street on Mapelton Ave. This trail is a must for dog owners, but does become quite steep in some areas. There are a few other trails that branch of Sanitas, Dakota Ridge Trail to the east that is great for runners, Hawthorne Trail to the northeast which is a difficult and steep trail and East Ridge Trail to the northwest.
For a complete listing of trails in the Boulder area follow these links:
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article...
http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=12619