Boulder: Nature Trails and History

If you choose Boulder as your destination, you can plan outings around a range of themes: wetlands and birdwatching, trails through open country, or traces of settlement and mining history. The places mentioned also differ in their trails: alongside a 0.9-mile trail, there is a moderate 7.9-mile loop and trail systems that are each 12 miles long. This lets you make your choice based on the landscape, history and trail length you prefer.

Trails and Finding Your Way in the Landscape

At Heil Valley Ranch, the Schoolhouse Loop is an easy, 0.9-mile trail suitable for beginner mountain bikers. The Walker Ranch Loop is considerably longer at 7.9 miles and is rated moderate. The Schoolhouse Loop has seasonal closures, and conditions may also change. Conditions and closures can change on the Walker Ranch Loop as well. Check the current trail status before planning your outing.

Two regional trails are each 12 miles long but follow different routes. The mostly unpaved Rock Creek Regional Trail follows Rock Creek from Superior through the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm to the confluence of Rock Creek and Coal Creek in Lafayette. The Longmont-to-Boulder (LoBo) Regional Trail is a trail system that runs through Gunbarrel, Niwot and open space, connecting the cities of Boulder and Longmont. A trail along a creek with named endpoints and a trail system between two cities therefore offer different points of reference.

At Stearns Lake, near the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve, the parking lot has space for 15 cars and 2 horse trailers. This capacity may change as the site is improved; if the number matters for your plans, check it in advance.

Wetlands, Grasslands and Wildlife

Landscapes range from the rolling grasslands and sandstone cliffs of Hall Ranch to the forests, meadows and wetlands of Caribou Ranch. Hall Ranch offers opportunities to observe wildflowers, animals and scenic views. Bald eagles regularly forage at Stearns Lake and in the surrounding fields of the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve; a sighting is not guaranteed on every visit.

The wetlands of Pella Crossing provide habitat for aquatic plants and animals and attract large numbers of migratory bird species. Grassland, shrubland and forest habitats at Betasso Preserve support diverse wildlife. These places have different highlights: wetlands and migratory birds at Pella Crossing, several habitat types at Betasso Preserve, and open landscapes with wildlife-viewing opportunities at Hall Ranch.

Caribou Ranch offers forests, meadows, wetlands and a historic mining complex for visitors to explore. It is located 1.5 miles west of the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. To protect wildlife, the area is closed every year from April 1 through June 30. If you plan to visit, take this fixed period into account when planning your trip.

Cultural Landscapes and Historic Traces

Walker Ranch is listed as a cultural landscape on the National Register of Historic Places. The homestead includes original buildings dating from the 1880s. At Hall Ranch, the Nelson House stands along the Nelson Loop Trail; it is what remains of an early 20th-century homestead. The two sites offer different historical points of reference: the preserved buildings at Walker Ranch and the remains of a later homestead at Hall Ranch.

The Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm also has a historic designation: the National Park Service added the preserve to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 2023. At Heil Valley Ranch, the Whitestone-and-Vickery-Quarry complex along the Picture Rock Trail recalls the region’s quarrying operations, which lasted from the 1890s through the 1960s.

The history of Caribou Ranch also includes Blue Bird: in 1905, the site became an excursion destination on the newly completed Eldora line of the Switzerland Trail of America. Rabbit Mountain, in turn, was a suitable wintering place for the Arapaho. Protection from strong westerly winds, edible plants, water from natural springs and abundant game made it suitable for this purpose. Together, these stories reveal different aspects of the past—from mining and excursion travel to the living conditions that made a winter stay possible.

Discover more destinations: Boulder, Louisville, Longmont, Superior, Allenspark, Niwot

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