Seriously, if you live in the area, come check these trails out! They are especially pretty after…read morethe recent snow. You see bunnies, birds, prairie dogs, all basking in the sun and looking curiously at you as you pass by.

This trail traverses through the cities of Broomfield and Westminster and is a 50/50 split between…read morefine crushed gravel and concrete. There are many trailheads such as the Big Dry Creek park on 128th street and Westminster City park on the corner of 112th and Sheridan. This trail is mostly flat with a few minor hills and has many spurs that connects with other trails such as the US 36 Bikeway, Panorama trail, College trail and the Walnut Creek trail. Along the trail one can expect to see beautiful mountains, plains, prairies, and man made waterfalls and other water features. Plenty of free parking at any of the park trailheads .

Great trail. Nice views. A little over 4 miles with a manageable, gradual incline. I'd say it's…read moremoderate but not particularly challenging. Saw a lot of people running. The trail is well-maintained and marked. The trailhead sign isn't readily apparent from the road so we had to pull over and check that it was the right one. The GPS did have the trailhead as slightly further down the road but we ended up in the right place. There's parking along the road, FYI. The trail will take you to the top of Mount Sanitas. Take a look at the map I posted -- there are multiple trails that take you to the peak.

Beautiful hiking trail just outside of Boulder. I freaking love this trail. I was in Denver and…read moreBoulder for a conference & to see friends. This was one of the short hikes I was hoping to squeeze into my busy day so that I could get that amazing mountain view that I don't get to see in the city. The trail itself is not too steep, and offers beautiful views all around, no matter where you are on the trail. When you are navigating to the trail, you will be driving uphill, and lose cell signal as you approach the base. There isn't really any signal on the trail in general. Parking is all roadside parking at the curved bend of a road. There are clearly areas to park for hikers. This trail when I was hiking was populated by locals either hiking solo or in a small group. Would definitely recommend for a couple hour hike. Only took me about 2 hours.

The Skim: Beautiful 3.3 mile loop for easy-to-moderate hiking! Lots of shaded areas and easy access…read morefor on-leash dogs. Not-so-great parking situation. This trail is great! It's far enough away to have the serene 'mountain' feel but close enough to be convenient. You can bring your dogs and walk them on-leash (they'll love this trail!). The trail seems to be popular for trail running and biking, but you cannot bike here on Wednesday/Saturday. So those days are the best for hikers. There are also picnic areas available for picnicking as well! Plenty of shade for cooling down, too. The only downside is parking. There are two VERY SMALL lots with one overflow lot. On the weekend it gets busy and finding a spot can be a real struggle.

What a fantastic trail! There's views for miles here. The parking area is fairly large with…read moretoilets, and there's another a bit fatter for non Boulder county folks who don't feel like paying. Come now for the best flower show! With lupines, sunflowers and more, plus roaming cows, the pastoral scene here will take you away from the bustle of nearby parks. There's a big loop trail up the hill, and numerous bike paths to follow. I had a lot of fun here!

Located at the intersection of HWY 93 and Marshall road in south Boulder, Marshall Mesa is a great…read moreplace to go hiking or mountain biking if you like steep and rough terrain. Trail maintenance is very little if not at all so get ready for some extremely rocky, muddy, and partially washed out trails. The good thing about Marshall Mesa is its expansive trail network, one can connect up to the Marshall Valley Trail, Coal Seam Trail, Cowdrey Draw Trail, Greenbelt Plateau Trail, and Community Ditch Trail. All trails are hiker and mountain biker friendly but most of them are very narrow and only allow a single direction of traffic at one time. Good hiking footwear or a strong, well built professional grade mountain bike is required as well as sunscreen and a couple of bottles of water since most of these trails are fairly long (10+ miles long one way). There is a large free parking lot across the street from the entrance or a pay for parking lot on the park property itself. So go out and enjoy the sights and sounds of the great Colorado outdoors.

We planned to do the first and second flat iron hike while passing through Boulder on our way from…read moreGolden to Estes Park. Unfortunately, we were the day after the big September snow storm (that shouldn't be a thing). We didn't want to just sit around though, so we decided to still do the hike. It was kind of icy in the snow, but it wasn't terrible. It was pretty in the forest with all of the snow. It was very foggy, so we really couldn't see any views. We ended up turning around a little before the top because I couldn't feel my feet (my shoes were soaked and it was 30 degrees) and there were no views to see anyway. I'd love to come back to Boulder sometime and do this hike when I can enjoy the views and feel my toes!

An absolutely STUNNING trail!! Parking was free for us because we went during the off season on a…read moreweekday. Pay for parking from memorial day to labor day plus weekends. We went on a wednesday in September and did not pay! Make sure to stop by the ranger house to get a map! The ranger who helped us was super helpful in recommending trails that would fit our level. She warned us that first flatirons is one of the more challenging trails but you get a great view, so we took the challenge. There were some other options, including one where you can see stone furniture! The park is large and there are many trails overlapping and out of the way, so make sure you know before you start! We used the AllTrails app and it was super helpful in knowing which split in the trail we were in. The beginning uphill looks easy and not too steep, but.... it got us. It was a bit disappointing to see how out of shape we were, given that we werent even on the trail yet. If you feel exhausted before getting to the trail, DONT GIVE UP IT GETS BETTER. The next hardest part were the rocky crossings we had to do, but it is exciting and the trails are so well maintained it is safe and steady. The views are absolutely stunning and the flowers are so beautiful all throughout the trail. Theres also a loop you can take on the way down for a view of Boulder! Even if you arent a master hiker, I would definitely recommend it!

Great trailhead and general area for hiking and trail recreation. I group this along with Doudy…read moreDraw and Fowler TH since they are all pretty close, and you can hike to each within a few miles if parking fills at one. That said, it gets busy here even on weekdays, and except a tough search for a spot on a nice day. There's a fee for non Boulder Cnty cars. It's a great place to recreate, with access to likely a few hundred miles of trails. Many peaks to climb, like Bear and South Boulder make this a popular place to start your Boulder hike. It's a bit less crowded than something like NCAR or the flatirons, and there's a lot of trails that branch off. Do download a dedicated map application like Strava or alltrails, and pack some supplies. It's enough trails it can get confusing even to veteran hikers. Have a great time and happy trails!

Pretty darn steep hike. Really after the first two miles it's all up hill. Barefooted it until…read moreabout .1 miles from the summit of South Peak. Kept my spikes on for Bear Peak as well and a bit on the way down. Overall conditions aren't that bad, few patches of ice - last half mile all packed, icy snow. $5 fee for parking if you're not a Boulder resident.

The Aquarius Trailhead is an access point on the Lafayette/Louisville town line for the Coal Creek…read moreTrail. There's parking for a dozen or so cars, some signage about the surrounding nature, and a small picnic shelter. Very popular spot with runners, walkers, and bikers. Conveniently located but the traffic can be a bit fast going by. Excellent spot for sunsets and western views into from Pikes Peak very far south, Boulder and the Indian Peaks to the west, and north to Longs Peak and Wyoming. Lots of wildlife including bald eagles, prairie dogs, and coyotes.

We did a 6 or so mile hike. The views were okay, but what I liked the most were the rocks on the…read moretrail (smaller ones that were red, orange, yellow, clear, and metallic). We did this in the snow, so wearing spikes helped. The trail was shaded a lot, which would be great in the summer.

Some nice Trails although not the most challenging…read more Easy to get to from Denver. Great facilities for parking and bathrooms. Rawhide trail is a very pleasant trail to enjoy.