onday, July 12, 2021: Caribou Trail, Nederland!

Let's celebrate Canyon Road FINALLY being finished with an easy little 4-mile hike at Caribou Ranch in Nederland! Here's Alltrails' info.

WHEN: Meet at the trail at 9:00.

WHERE TO MEET: Here's the map. Carpooling is always a good idea. 

DOGS: NO. Dogs are never allowed on this trail. 

TRAIL DISTANCE: About 4 easy miles.

HIKING TIME: About an hour and a half, assuming we make plenty of stops for photos, and water.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Easy peasy.

CARPOOLING: A good idea if you can. Parking is limited and the trail is popular, even on Monday mornings. 

DRIVE TIME: It takes about half an hour from the Boulder Municipal Courts Building/parking lot.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:  Temps will probably be in the low to mid-60s when we arrive. Sunscreen and plenty of water, always!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts for Monday morning. 

LUNCH: Let's figure out an early lunch on What's App. :)

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, June 28, 2021: Mesa Trail, Chautauqua To The NCAR Intersection and Back!

 

We all know this trail! We'll play it by ear - I plan to hike the Mesa Trail from the the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage to the intersection where people turn off to go to NCAR, and back. Here's info on the Ranger Cottage, with a map.

WHERE TO MEET: Parking in the Chautauqua lot off Baseline near the intersection of 9th St. is limited. At 9:00 AM, spaces will be very hard to come by. We can always park on Baseline or 9th. Carpooling is a good idea. See link above for map.

DOGS: Yes! Boulder Open Space rules apply.

TRAIL DISTANCE:  It's hard to calculate but let's count on about 5 miles total. 

HIKING TIME: About 2 hours or so, assuming we make plenty of stops for photos, water, and breath-catching.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate The trail is in great shape, no bouldering or anything rugged.

CARPOOLING: A good idea if you can. Parking is limited and the trail is popular, even on Monday mornings. 

TIME: Let's meet at the Ranger Station at 9:00 AM. That's an hour later than usual for summer. Next week, assuming it isn't chilly/rainy, we'll go back to 8:00 AM.

DRIVE TIME: As long as it takes you to get to mid-Boulder.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:  A light jacket, preferably rain-resistant just in case, sunscreen, just in case, and plenty of water!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts for Monday morning. Oddly cool again! May be rainy, (though probably not) in which case we'll postpone this hike for the following Monday, July 5.

LUNCH: Must be outdoor seating. The Chautauqua Hall should be open but they're variable about dog-friendliness. Let's figure out lunch on What's App. :)

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, June 21, 2021 Betasso Preserve!

 

This trail is up Canyon Road, about halfway to Nederland, 15 minutes west of the Boulder Municipal Courthouse. Technically, it's in Boulder.  Here's a map. Here's the Alltrails page.

WHERE TO MEET: Parking is limited, carpooling is a good idea. We can meet at the Boulder Municipal Court parking lot at Canyon & 6th, Boulder. (map here)

DOGS: Yes! 

TRAIL DISTANCE:  Depending on how far we want to hike, between 3.3 miles and 7.8. Let's do the Canyon Loop and the connector trail for a total of 4.8 miles. The first half of this trail is downhill, the second half is uphill.

NOTE! There will be some bikes on this trail. We'll hike the opposite direction of them except for the connector trail, which allows bikes both ways. 

HIKING TIME: About 3 hours with plenty of stops for photos and breath-catching.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Moderate because of the uphill part the second half of the hike. We'll definitely feel like we got some exercise. The trail is in great shape, no bouldering or anything rugged.

CARPOOLING: A good idea if you can. Parking is limited and the trail is popular, even on Monday mornings.

TIME: Let's meet at the trailhead at 9:00 AM. That's an hour later than usual for summer. Next week we'll go back to 8:00.

DRIVE TIME: About 15 minutes west of  the Boulder Municipal Courthouse.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:  Sunscreen and lots of water!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts. Oddly cool! May be rainy, in which case we'll postpone this hike for the following Monday, June 28.

LUNCH: Must be outdoor seating. Let's figure out where on What's App. :)

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, June 14, 2021: Fowler, Goshawk Ridge, and Spring Brook Loop North Trails, Eldorado Springs!

 

This trail is in Eldorado Springs State Park, but we'll park outside the park near the ashram. Here's a map. Here's the Alltrails page.

WHERE TO MEET: Meet on 67th Street off of Eldorado Springs Drive (Route 170), which is off of Route 93. Pass the Ashram and park on the street. If you reach the town, you've gone too far.

DOGS: No. 

TRAIL DISTANCE:  4.1 miles. It's uphill for the first half, downhill the second.

HIKING TIME: About 2 hours with stops for photos.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Moderate because of the uphill part. The trail is in great shape, no bouldering or anything rugged.

CARPOOLING: A good idea if you can. Street parking is limited and the trail is popular, even on Monday mornings.

TIME: Let's meet at the trailhead at 8:00 AM. 

DRIVE TIME: Depends. It's in Eldorado Springs.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:  Sunscreen and lots of water!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts. Warm and vert sunny.

LUNCH: Must be outdoor seating. Let's figure out where on What's App. :)

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, June 7, 2021: Mcintosh Lake Trail, Longmont!

This trail is in Longmont. Here's a map. Here's the Alltrails page.

WHERE TO MEET: Meet where the little tree icon is off Harvard between Wedgewood and N. Shore Dr.

DOGS: Yes!

TRAIL DISTANCE:  3.5 miles, flat terrain.

HIKING TIME: About 1 1/2 hours with stops for photos.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Easy peasy!

CARPOOLING: Not necessary. Lots of street parking.

TIME: Let's meet at at 8:30 AM. 

DRIVE TIME: Depends. It's in Longmont.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING:  Sunscreen!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts. Should be warm and dry.

LUNCH: Must be outdoor seating. Let's figure out where on What's App. :)

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, May 24, 2021: Shanahan Ridge Loop!

 

This trail is in south Boulder, the Shanahan Ridge neighborhood. 

HERE'S THE ALLTRAILS WEBSITE.

DOGS: YES. On leash only.

TRAIL DISTANCE: About 4 miles round trip. The first 1/3 is uphill, the next 1/3 is flat, the last 1/3 is downhill. There may be a little mud, nothing too serious.

HIKING TIME: About 2 hours.

TRAIL DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate due to the first mile and a quarter, which is uphill all the way.

CARPOOLING: Not necessary. There's lots of neighborhood street parking.

TIME: Let's meet at the Shanahan Ridge trailhead at 9:00 AM. 

DRIVE TIME:  Here are the Google Maps directions to the Shanahan Ridge Trailhead. 

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING: The usual for late spring mornings. Maybe a very light jacket for the start and for al fresco lunch. Sunscreen!

WEATHER: This is what weather.com forecasts. Since we're more than a week out, this is likely to change some as we get closer to the 24th.

LUNCH: Must be outdoor seating. I'm letting dog people figure out dog-friendly patio restaurants. Here's a helpful link.  Let's discuss over What's App.

🏃🏃🏃

Monday, August 5, 2019 Hike: Button Rock Dam via Sleepy Lion Trail, Lyons, CO

Button Rock Dam via Sleepy Lion Trail is a 5.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Lyons, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as moderate. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

A great rocky trail with a few steep sections. Well shaded in the morning. Dramatic views of Long's Peak, Mt. Meeker, and Twin Sisters beyond the reservoir.

Here's more trail info from alltrails.com.