Hiking – Boulder Open Space

We will travel 1-1.5 mph on our ascent due to the steady incline and rocky nature of this trail up to the Flatirons, taking breaks as necessary to catch our breathe. We begin our hike on the Chautauqua Trail (a steady climb), taking this .6 miles to the Flatiron Loop Trail. We will travel the Flatiron Loop Trail for about .1 mile, turning right on the 1^st and 2^nd Flatiron Trail and carefully making our way up to the Flatirons for .6 miles. Because this section of the trail is rocky, we will continue at 1-1.5 mph pace. You must be comfortable ascending steps that may be 12 inches high in some places and performing Class 2 scrambling on a small trail section, where I will demonstrate techniques for ascending and descending. I am requiring that you bring poles so you have these handy later for our descent. We will break at Flatiron 1 for about 15 minutes for snacks and the incredible views.

Next, we will trek .3 miles on the New Saddle Rock Trail (which was previously a social trail) to the Old Saddle Rock Trail so we can take in the amazing westerly mountain-peak views, before returning to Flatiron 1.  You may want to use poles because of some sandy sections the New Saddle Rock Trail. 

From Flatiron 1, we will descend .7 miles to the Bluebell Baird Trail which we will follow about .2 miles to the Bluebell Shelter.  After checking out the shelter, we will begin our gradual descent of about a mile on Bluebell Road (not rocky) at 2-2.5 mph to the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage. Note, we can pause for bathroom facilities on Bluebell Road.

I expect we will complete this hike in under four hours. You may feel warm on this hike due sun exposure from the east. Please dress accordingly and bring plenty of water.

We will meet in front of the Chautauqua Park Rangers Station (900 Baseline Road, Boulder, CO 80302) at 6:45 am. We will then have introductions and begin our hike at 7:00 am.

Directions: From Highway 36, take the Baseline Road exit and travel west toward the mountains. Follow Baseline Road approximately 1.5 miles to Chautauqua Park. Turn left into the parking lot - parking is free of charge during the week. If you are coming from outside Boulder and would like to carpool, I can provide emails of participants, if you would like.