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    Boulder Reservoir

    3.4 (38 reviews)

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    Brandon F.

    Beautiful sand area, clean facilities, easy parking, and great swim area. Came to the reservoir in July for my first triathlon. We arrived before 7 in order to get free parking for the event. The entry and parking process was smooth, and there is plenty of nearby parking. The bathroom facilities, showers, and club house is updated and clean. The swim area is large and the water at the time was 70 degrees in early summer just perfect for a cool dip without a wetsuit.

    Becky R.

    Super fun and I love that you can rent kayaks and paddle boards! My kids love the beach and swimming areas. We didn't eat at the café but we did rent a two person kayak and paddleboard for two hours and we had a great time on them! The only reason I could not give five stars is because there is literally goose poop everywhere... everywhere you look everywhere you walk!! It's so nasty!!! To me if I'm paying $25 to get my family into this area something should be done about that! We got here just before 10 when the swimming area opens and got a great spot on the beach. We love the Boulder area!

    You don't have to take more than a couple of steps out of the parking lot to start seeing the litter box the geese have made of the place

    If you're a fan of stepping in geese feces throughout the whole park, you will love this one. The water is fine but the management of the park is awful. I do not recommend bringing your family here, especially if you are trying to avoid getting your children and/or equipment covered in poop.

    Don't bring your new paddle board to Boulder Reservoir unless you purchased a small craft permit. The permits are only offered at the beginning of the season. The permits are all sold out this year. This not obvious on the web site. If you are looking for a new paddle board adventure this is NOT the place to go........

    Marissa L.

    Rented kayaks for an hour for 15 dollars each. Even though it was sprinkling and breezy with clouds around us, the water temperature was still perfectly fine. We had a blast, and riding against the current was pretty simple. Lots of people were paddleboarding and sailing. Huge plus: Amazing customer service. Really nice dude at the counter gave us tips for first time riders. Another highlight was how safe everything was. As I've said, we went on a rather rainy day. They warned us that if any sign of lightning or thunder was near, they would flag us down to shore and give us the rest of our hour back when it cleared up.

    Beautiful day at the Reservoir
    Christina E.

    I was expecting much worse from reading all of the 1 star reviews on here, but I am thrilled with my day at the Boulder Reservoir! A nice, spacious swim area, plenty of space to lay out and soak up some rays, a concession stand, and restrooms/water fountains. I didn't take advantage of the rental equipment but plenty of people are and seem to be enjoying the stand up paddle boards, canoes, etc. There are beautiful mountain views and it's an overall great reservoir and excellent way to spend the day! I did deduct one star because the price per person as opposed to per vehicle ($6.25) as others have mentioned is complete horse crap.

    3 floating platforms to swim out to.

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    15 years ago

    Beach was closed and they didn't tell us. Then refused to give a refund

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    Ask the Community - Boulder Reservoir

    1/ is it dog friendly 2/ mixed reviews about pricing: free or fee?

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    Review Highlights - Boulder Reservoir

    I'm going to guess it is a sad replacement for an ocean since it is a reservoir.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Things are changing here after 100 years. Chautauqua Auditorium is being renovated and winterized…read more It had been needed before this as another concert venue in Boulder would have been appreciated sooner but once Boulder won Sundance it became a necessity. But when you come in the summer it will still look the same. A removable heated tent will be erected inside and heated by geothermal heat from underneath that will be transferred underground from the dining hall kitchen's surplus stored energy. So modern in such an old structure. So when you visit this spring there is a lot of truck traffic and digging and detours around the building but you can see from the last picture, the green and the view of the Flatirons are undisturbed.

    Overall, it was a refreshing late October hike on the Flatiron Loop trail! Since we were first time…read morevisitors, we asked for a trail recommendation at the ranger station that fit in with our plans, so something in the 2-hr range. They suggested going in a counterclockwise direction which got the elevation gain done sooner and would finish with a more gradual descent. Being a sea-level creature, I did have to catch my breath a few times on the way up. Now, at the uppermost part of the loop after a bunch of stone steps, there were some all-rock areas where hunching down with a hand or two on the rock helped with balance. Afterward we noted signs on the trail allowing horses. They must have goat like abilities for those rocky parts, I thought. If you like seeing people, there were plenty during the early afternoon hours, sometimes making passing on narrow trail sections a little tricky. We got lucky with parking, going around the large grassy area only once. On the way out, we thanked the ranger for the great recommendation, gave up our parking spot to the next lucky person and went on our way, with plenty of time for our next activity.

    Harlow Platts Park - Love the bridge

    Harlow Platts Park

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    Great place for dog walks, picnics, and sunsets! You can see far into the flatirons and the…read morereflection across the lakes are spectacular! Winter is a great time to explore with the colors you can see. The pond scum comes a bit more in the summer but beautiful nonetheless. I've seen people fishing and kayaking there though I'm not sure either are allowed. I love being here for the nature! They have tennis courts and lots of walking trails. This is a great south boulder park that everyone should visit!

    I used to go to this park and the adjacent South Boulder Rec Center decades ago when I was in the…read moreTable Mesa neighborhood more frequently. After a long absence, I have returned to use the trail around Viele Lake as my preferred exercise location. Trying to get into a more regular walking routine, I needed to find a place that I could maintain a good pace, was not crowded and had interesting views. Nothing within walking distance of my house fits that description so I thought I should go see what is happening in this part of town. Yes, in the politics of Boulder, I do have to drive my "evil" car to this location, but traffic and parking is never an issue and I can be there in about 6 minutes. The view of the Flatirons from here is fantastic, the lake is pretty and the trees and parkland around it very pleasing. There are some playing fields behind the Rec Center that are used for practice groups from the nearby Fairview HS on many days. In the weekday mornings it is mostly a place to find seniors and parents with small kids in strollers on the paved trail. Also, an occasional school group doing a little investigating of the pond life. They have added restrooms and a picnic shelter recently near the playground. As new young families are buying up the nearby homes from retirees, there is a new sense of excitement and investment in the neighborhood and the playground is busy, though not over crowded, and has a nice mix of modern attractive equipment.

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    I love Boulder Falls…read more It's a quick drive from downtown Boulder, and it's so beautiful. Although it has stairs, it's a short walk from the parking lot. Just be careful of the street you have to cross from the parking lot. The walk from the parking lot is less than 15 minutes. The falls are beautiful in the summer and winter. It can get crowded, but most people don't stay long. In the summer, there are a few areas where you can get in the water. It's a really beautiful area.

    This is a local attraction in Boulder Canyon that I have visited occasionally since 1974 but…read more probably not in the last 20-30 years. With out of town guests who wanted to see it, we went up with them today which was hot even by 9am. Not ideal for me. There was adequate parking in a small lot on the south side of the Canyon, just before the crossover to the entrance to the short but steep hike.Being a Monday morning, not very busy. Be aware that weekends are extremely busy and not enough parking. I believe that the trail has been improved some over the years from our past memory of it. There are actually some steps cut into the steepest of the rock surfaces and some heavy duty chain handrails in the areas with he steepest drop off. We saw little kids as well as grandparents. so if I can still do it, many others can. Cooler weather would have been nice. The waterfall is quite pretty. It was roaring even in a drought because of a few heavy rains last weekend and such hot weather in this climate change era that the snow pack in the mountains is melting too quickly this summer. A must see if you are visiting this area. A many athletes do visit too.

    Boulder Reservoir - parks - Updated May 2026

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