City: Boulder, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 441-3440

Description: Way back in 1898, long before Colorado’s Front Range became one of the fastest developing regions in the country, Boulder’s prescient citizens bought their first piece of land for preservation. In the years since, the city has bought up a sweep of mountain backdrop and a ring of high plains prairie that shapes the city, protects it from encroachment by its fast-growing neighbors, preserves precious ecosystems, and gives residents a refuge for passive recreation and contemplation. That 65,000 acres of open space and mountain parks land is the envy of other cities that are just now recognizing the value of undeveloped land.An excellent introduction to the mountain parks is the drive up Flagstaff Mountain. The hairpin-turn, two-lane drive offers spectacular panoramas along the way, as well as pull-offs, trails, and picnic spots. Keep your eyes on the road and let your passengers describe the human flies climbing on the rock formations. To get there, take Baseline Road west, follow its curve to the right and up Flagstaff Mountain. (The elegant Flagstaff House restaurant along the way is open for dinner only.)A glut of visitors from other cities in the region has put a strain on the popular area. To reduce that number, and recoup some of the cost of maintaining the area, the city requires cars not registered in Boulder County to pay for parking both on Flagstaff Mountain and in Gregory Canyon (the area below Flagstaff). Annual permits are $15; daily permits are $3 and may be purchased at six self-service stations along Flagstaff Road. Be warned: Rangers do patrol the lots and ticket cars without permits.More than 120 miles of hiking trails lace the mountain backdrop and the plains below. Popular mountain trailheads begin at Chautauqua Park, Flagstaff Mountain, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Eldorado Springs. You can hike to Bear Peak, Green Mountain, Mount Sanitas, and to the Devil’s Thumb—all of which are popular, substantial hikes taking from several hours to most of the day, depending upon your level of fitness. (Some specific locations and suggested hikes are described under “Hiking” in the Sports chapter.)Among the flat, popular trailheads are: Bobolink, a favorite of dog walkers, offering a shady stroll along South Boulder Creek, located at Cherryvale and Baseline Roads; Boulder Valley Ranch, a long prairie path popular with horseback riders, past one of the working ranches leased from the city, located a mile east of U.S. Highway 36 on Longhorn Road; and Doudy Draw trailhead, a meandering trail through ponderosa pine and the South Boulder Creek riparian corridor, past historic homesites (and a great place to find bear signs or even spot a black bear), located 1.8 miles west of Highway 93 on Eldorado Springs Drive.Trail maps are available from the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department; Boulder Chamber of Commerce, 2440 Pearl Street (303-442-1044, www.boulderchamber.com) and Boulder Map Gallery, 1708 13th Street (303-444-1406, www.bouldermapgallery.com).Rangers and naturalists offer a series of free hikes and educational programs on topics ranging from the truth about rattlesnakes to where to find (but not disturb) wild irises to the best spots for bass fishing. They even offer an evaluation of canine citizenship to help owners determine if their dogs are well-trained enough to handle the distractions of a hike off-leash, where allowed.