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.

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.

This trailhead is a hub with access to many other trails. I wanted to climb Flagstaff Mountain and…read morethere are multiple options to get to the top. I started with the GC trail and created a loop with Rangeview and Flagstaff. Rangeview delivered an amazing view of the Rockies. GC is on an incline so you get to look down into the creek and canyon. The western side also offers views of the adjacent Chautauqua Park. Flagstaff summit was not as dramatic, and upon the descent you look out onto Downtown Boulder. I inadvertently took Crown Rock trail, which I do not recommend. It has a lot of loose rocks and gets slippery. Trails were easy to follow and major intersections had clear signage. Only six parking spots! However, you can park for free with some off-road spots on Baseline Rd. I regret starting at 9:30 as trails were pretty sunny. Rangeview offered some needed shade.

Wow what a marvelous trailhead! The other reviewer was right, you could get to all of Boulder…read moreMountain Parks from here. I arrived around 11am on a weekday and the lot was about half full. There's a few trails that all connect up to Green Mountain, so take your pick. It too me about an hour to summit. The trail was beautiful and in better shape than the Bear Peak trail. It's less steep, but still pretty long and can be an adventure. You get some amazing views, better than Bear I think. Seeing the first flatiron above the fog was so pretty. The summit sports a register and a lot of chickadees begging for food. Don't feed them! Enjoy the mountain air and sunshine, and the fact your so close to town after your hike!

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.

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!

Bring Water! This is an amazing hike to get a full view of the city, but it is a lot of stairs…read more(actual stairs, but a slope like other hikes).

Nice butt burner in the Boulder area. Lots of steps. Great views and experience for those not…read morewanting to venture out off the beaten path. Take breaks on the ascent. Unless you're an Olympic trainee :)

What a great trail head! You can connect in all directions for lots of hiking fun! The Fowler…read moreTrailhead up the road is great too and gets you a bit closer to Eldorado Canyon. There's miles of trails for hiking and biking, including many views of the plains, mountains, and surrounding scenery. Love the flowers and many rock colors coming out. You can even see a section of ancient seabed coming out! This is definitely one of my favorite places to go hiking in Boulder, and it seems you can avoid some of the downtown Boulder crowds. There's also South Mesa parking across the road, and plenty of trails northward too! Happy trails!

Super fun, easy trail! Close to Arvada and Broomfield area. Fee to park is $5. I suggest you…read moredownload the ParkMobile app before getting there as signal comes and goes. Bikes, dogs and horses are allowed on this trail. You also get great views the entire hike!

Describing this trail is like Buddy the Elf describing his journey from the North Pole, "I passed…read morethrough the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel." The trails here are twisty, gooey, flowing single tracks that open into picturesque views of vistas, overlooks and meadows with rocks, flagstone and stumps acting as natural obstacles. When you cruise down the Wapiti Trail, you are zooming into the seven levels of the wildflower forrest and your tires are sticking like half "sucked-on" gum drops to the grippy, tacky trail surface...like pizza sauce clings to a white blouse. Your eyes start to tear from the breeze, and it's so quiet, you can actually hear the echo cries of a Canyon Wren and your stretching cheek skin as a smile rips across your face. Then you do it all over again.

I spent all day here on the Wapiti Trail and Ponderosa Loop, about 8 miles total, in mid-May. I…read morethink it is a great trainer trail close to Boulder, easy to get to to acclimatize and prepare for mountain trails. It was a beautiful hike, and we got to see some mule deer, which I had not expected. The downside is, despite all their bitching about how rocky the trail is, Wapiti is heavily used by mountain bikers, so you will quite frequently have to get off to the side to let them by. If you are looking for some peace, you may not find it as the avalanches of sweating and grunting macho bikers pump past you. I would use this as a training and exercise trail - save your bliss for the the real mountain trails where bikers are banned or unable to compete with hikers.