Excellent Bike trails into Boulder Reservoir. Lobo Trail is made up of small crushed gravel and is an easy bike ride to the reservoir. Once there, so many options to have fun & hang out with your friends & family. read more

See all

This is a beautiful recreation area, however being a first time visitor the park rangers have to be the most rude when it comes to dogs. If they're worried about poop then they should be out there cleaning up the goose poop that everyone h!s to dodge. read more

Yeah they're real assholes about having dogs. And pretty rude about it too. I was just dropping someone off and had my dog in the car and they wouldn't let me through. read more

Beautiful sand area, clean facilities, easy parking, and great swim area. Came to the reservoir in July for my first triathlon. We arrived before 7 in order to get free parking for the event. The entry and parking process was smooth, and there is plenty of nearby parking. The bathroom facilities, showers, and club house is updated and clean. The swim area is large and the water at the time was 70 degrees in early summer just perfect for a cool dip without a wetsuit. read more

Boulder Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

What a great way to spend a relaxing fourth! The incoming storm made it less crowded - lifeguards were careful to get us out and back in the water when lightning came. Great day! read more

I was looking up the best beaches in Colorado, and Boulder Reservoir came up so we decided to check it out. We didn't really have expectations, other than wanting a spot to relax near the water. There's a large grassy area along the water that is luscious and looks great for lying down on... BUT, beware of the goose droppings! I grew up around lakes and am very accustomed to goose poop, but there was so much goose poop that we almost didn't want to lay down in the grass, even though we brought a mat to place down. Next, the beach itself was not extremely impressive. The coarse sand wasn't uncomfortable to walk in barefoot, but I thought it was a small area for the amount of people who were there on an overcast day. Maybe I've been spoiled by the beaches of California? The bathrooms had an unpleasant odor, even though we visited on a weekday with few visitors around us. I did see there was a communal shower area in both the mens and womens restrooms, so that is nice for swimmers / boaters who need to rinse off. There's a small swimming area of the water roped off, and there's a place to rent kayaks and paddleboards on the beach. We had an infant with us, so we just stayed on the our mat on the grass. The parking lots are huge. There's also a ramp for folks with boats to enter the reservoir. The cost is $7 per adult, and $4 for youth. Kids under a certain age enter free of charge. The most exciting part of the day was when we spotted a Common Garter snake nearby! They're not actually that common in Colorado, so that was a neat discovery. We easily spent 3 hours here, but if it had been a busy, sunny day, we would not have lasted that long. This place could be a nice place to visit if you have small children. I wouldn't want to bring my friends to hang out here though. read more

Super fun and I love that you can rent kayaks and paddle boards! My kids love the beach and swimming areas. We didn't eat at the café but we did rent a two person kayak and paddleboard for two hours and we had a great time on them! The only reason I could not give five stars is because there is literally goose poop everywhere... everywhere you look everywhere you walk!! It's so nasty!!! To me if I'm paying $25 to get my family into this area something should be done about that! We got here just before 10 when the swimming area opens and got a great spot on the beach. We love the Boulder area! read more

See all

If you're a fan of stepping in geese feces throughout the whole park, you will love this one. The water is fine but the management of the park is awful. I do not recommend bringing your family here, especially if you are trying to avoid getting your children and/or equipment covered in poop. read more

Boulder Reservoir - You don't have to take more than a couple of steps out of the parking lot to start seeing the litter box the geese have made of the place - Parks Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

See all

Don't bring your new paddle board to Boulder Reservoir unless you purchased a small craft permit. The permits are only offered at the beginning of the season. The permits are all sold out this year. This not obvious on the web site. If you are looking for a new paddle board adventure this is NOT the place to go........ read more

Boulder Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

See all

Nice hike - not too hard, but steep! Great lookout point for photo opportunities! Took only a few minutes to walk down and up, but the inclined can be a lot. There's also picnic spaces so you can look out at the view while enjoying your lunch. Amazing photo opportunities as well, and restrooms available. read more

Rented kayaks for an hour for 15 dollars each. Even though it was sprinkling and breezy with clouds around us, the water temperature was still perfectly fine. We had a blast, and riding against the current was pretty simple. Lots of people were paddleboarding and sailing. Huge plus: Amazing customer service. Really nice dude at the counter gave us tips for first time riders. Another highlight was how safe everything was. As I've said, we went on a rather rainy day. They warned us that if any sign of lightning or thunder was near, they would flag us down to shore and give us the rest of our hour back when it cleared up. read more

See all

Amazing, easy hike!!! One of my favorite water-view hikes in CO! And after the hike you can explore the adorable city of Boulder and grab lunch or a drink in the town square read more

I was expecting much worse from reading all of the 1 star reviews on here, but I am thrilled with my day at the Boulder Reservoir! A nice, spacious swim area, plenty of space to lay out and soak up some rays, a concession stand, and restrooms/water fountains. I didn't take advantage of the rental equipment but plenty of people are and seem to be enjoying the stand up paddle boards, canoes, etc. There are beautiful mountain views and it's an overall great reservoir and excellent way to spend the day! I did deduct one star because the price per person as opposed to per vehicle ($6.25) as others have mentioned is complete horse crap. read more

Boulder Reservoir - Beautiful day at the Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Brought our kayaks up for the day. It's $7 person to get in and they also told us we would have to pay $40/kayak for an annual launch fee if we wanted to use them. We had 3 kayaks so that would have cost $120 plus the entrance fee. That's a crazy amount of money to spend on a place we don't come to that often so we ended up renting them for cheaper. When we got to the rental place we were rudely asked if we had a reservation, when we said no we were lectured about how busy they were on weekends. (Which is why we brought our own.) Evidently it wasn't that busy because we were able to get 3 paddle boards and kayaks without waiting. read more

My first experience at the Boulder Reservoir was quite memorable. It was a brisk February day and my friends and I were eagerly awaiting our turn to dip (it was a Polar Plunge event in support of the Special Olympics). The ice was lovingly broken and cleared away so we could make our run in and out. The event was executed well and there were snacks (donuts really are the best snack. I was so happy to see these), announcers, photographers, and his and hers warming tents. After this great experience I'm not sure whey it took me so long to return to see what the reservoir had to offer in the summer months. It was a hot hot h-o-t June day and being all pooled out (note: I had not yet been to the Eldorado Canyon pool) I thought I'd give the reservoir a try. After all I thought I'd best check on my investment (I purchased a couples yoga paddle board lesson for later this summer). The line of cars moving through the entry gates went by smoothly and we were soon in (though the directions provided by the gate staff were a bit confusing). We parked the car and made our way down to the beach. I was pleased to see that there were few patrons and the reservoir had a lake like feel (I'm from Maine and I rarely think a week passed that I didn't se at least 1 natural lake in my 23 years living there). We set out our towels, took out our magazines, re-applied our sunscreen and spent the next 45 minutes convincing each other to swim out to the dock (ok my partner was the one trying to convince me). We eventually made it into the water and probably about 30 minutes (seriously I saw someone conduct an entire swim workout between the time I entered the water and eventually made it out to the dock) later made it out to the one dock that was not yet occupied. We lounged the afternoon away chatting, people watching, and enjoying small waves produced by small boats and passing paddle boarders. The next day I couldn't help but look up the fees associated with Boulder Reservoir Annual passes as well as the all popular Splash Pass. Though I'll be out of town for the 4th of July festivities I will soon be back to the Boulder Reservoir. read more

Such a fun addition to our trip around boulder. I honestly didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. New and well-kept facilities, including a cafe and outdoor patio. The beach was clean and monitored by lifeguards. We were able to lay out and swim. It was $11 per non-resident. Overall, we had an amazing time and it was definitely worth the stop. read more

Finally the city decide to remodel this beautiful space we've got in Boulder. Cant wait! read more

NOT User friendly at all. Too many rules. Should be free, I mean what else are taxes for.. Corse rough sand, Very Small swim area with big crowds due to population. Swim area closes at 6.... booooo..... Goose poop...yuck. Small green grass area full of goose poop. Very poor design and operational disaster. Guards constantly yelling at people to stay out of beautiful water fun area at right side of beach. Whistles blowing every minute or so. Guards seem to love lecturing. Beaches need to be happy get aways not concentration camps. read more

I am giving this a five star because the other review is so dumb. I'm going to guess it is a sad replacement for an ocean since it is a reservoir. Really snow melt water is cold? Well I have been to a few events here most of which are triathlon related. The park seems easy and eager to work with organizers of these events. The place is always clean and parking for the large events is well organized. read more

This is the closest thing Boulder has to an ocean. It's a pretty sad replacement, really. The sand is coarse and full of burrs, the water is cold and smells of fish. It's perfectly adequate if boating is your thing, plenty of water to skim around on and a great view of the Flatirons. I briefly gave crew a try in college and floating in the skull watching the reflection of the sunrise on the Flatirons was one of the most gorgeous sites I'd ever seen, and the most compelling reason to get up at 4 in the morning. read more

Pros: Good views, picnic areas, swimming, and its close by! Cons: Swimming areas can easily get crowded on weekends, and should probably be expanded. Bathrooms are pretty gross too. Would be nice to have more shaded areas! Maybe plant some cottonwoods around. read more

See all

OK place for family and boating recreation...not so much if you want to do any kind of swim workout. For $6.25, I'd expect much better facilities! Went swimming along the shore to get a good work out in before ironman 70.3 Boulder. At the conclusion of the swim, I was told by annoying high school staff that the only place on the entire lake where you are allowed to swim is the little swim area which they would open up special on thursday. Having been a life guard, firefighter, EMT, and search and rescue member (USCG), I know that the worst people to life guard for are members of our own community so I didn't argue. There were few boats on the water, I was swimming within the white "swim only" buoy areas and I was swimming with a buddy. So I was doing everything that one should do to be safe. I did find out that there is a pull off on the other side of the lake that I'll probably look at swimming from the next time. Get there early in the morning before the lake patrol (high school life guards, again) get out on the water around 10 am. There is also a white buoy area along the dam wall on the east side. This is to keep boaters from wrecking. As long as you know not to get close to the outlets for the dam (it's not fast moving anyways), you should be able to do at least 1/4 mile stretches without even coming close to the outlets. read more

Ok, so I'm an ocean girl, but since we can't find a way to import an ocean to Boulder, I take every advantage of being close to water. The Boulder Res is a pretty decent option, and it seems to be cleaner than past years. Maybe that's the current high water level, but whatever it is, a good improvement. For a very hot summer day, it was pretty great today. What most people don't realize is that there's a ton of wildlife at the res. Went kayaking and just today, in addition to the geese, coots, loons, and grebes, I paddled with ospreys, blue and black herons, egrets, and pelicans. I've seen owls, bald eagles, falcons, and hawks too. Lots of waterski boats created fun rollers for playing in the kayak. Got back to the beach and there were lots of people picnicking, renting kayaks, sailboats, and stand up paddle boards. The swim beach was hoppin' with a variety of people from families with kids to college kids playing some alternate form of ping pong to athletic types training for their next race. Everybody was happy and enjoying the "sandy" beach. Unfortunately the Reservoir Grill (snack shop) was closed today... end of July, Sunday, 98 degrees... why? Who knows. Would have stayed longer to read my book in the shade with happy summer noises, but I ran out of cold Gatorade. There seem to be big race events (triathlons, marathons, etc.) many weekends, so check if you plan on going early; they're usually cleared out by about noon. read more

WOW, I don't care about the cry babies here, the rating for me is a 5.5! A romantic spot for you and your lover. Parking is free, if you park by the gate and take a walk to the reservoir. There are small canoes with paddles on some of the corners. The view of the mountains are fantastic and especially for the summer evenings. The sunsets are gorgeous!! The lifeguards are very friendly and they travel around in small boats to guide people and make everyone aware when it's time to go. There are these big, wide plastic, floating decks where you can walk in the middle of the deep, deep reservoir and enjoy the winds and the water on your feet. The reservoir is filled with grills, picnic spots, tables and space for your boats and canoes. Most of the reservoir is not crowded and very packed. There is also a cafe or cafeteria, but it was closed at the moment, so boohoo. Hardly found any restrooms, but they have loads of seating areas by that cafeteria. read more

See all

Crowded. Filthy. So.Many.Rules. Skip it and visit Water World in Federal Heights instead. Seriously, Water World is the same price for more than twice the fun. read more

This is a great place to walk your dog around the lake. It's supposed to be a 5 mile walk around it and it doesn't take that long. There are plenty of dogs that get to run around and play and the trails are quite beautiful. read more

Came up here a few weeks ago to go standup paddle boarding. It was a beautiful day and we were so excited to be on the water. But with an entry fee per person it cost us $27 to get in( 2 adults, 2 kids & 1 senior citizen) That was a little high especially bc all other reservoirs are pay per car. The water was perfect, not too many boats so we could actually stand up. We decided to swim afterwards. There is a rule that the kids have to pass a swim test before they can go into the deeper water. They only do the test once an hour. So we were waiting 45 mins to show the lifeguards ( who are very rude and lazy) that our kids could swim. They were so bored waiting in the shallow end. Isn't the point of having a lifeguard is to save someone. We were so upset that we ended up leaving. Even when my sister went up to their offices to ask when they will be doing the swim test there were 8 lifeguards sitting around. I asked too and they said in 20 mins. I relived that was 15 mins ago then the life guard said " well then you have 5 more mins" You'd think with 8 lifeguards just hanging out they would see there were 6 kids and their parents waiting to take the test and swim. We will not be back!! read more

Great place to hangout in the summer. In the winter months you can walk your dog around the res which is great. There are voice and sight areas too! read more

Boulder Reservoir - Parks Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I agree! This is NOT the ocean. It's a freaking lake close to Boulder. You take what you can get. It is a boating lake. Ugh I get tired of people who complain about no ocean. YOUR IN COLORADO! read more

Went for the first time and hated it. The swimming area is small, entry fee is per person rather then per car load and they yelled at me for having my 11 month old in the shallow end while wearing a safety tube. We will most def not be returning!! Bear creek is our fav!!! read more

The REZ is a wonderful place to start a day. My friends and I kayak there once a week, each time enjoying different special birds---we caught a very close glimpse of a young bald eagle a couple of weeks ago. Three weeks ago carp were mating on the shore. That was something to see! Some days hot air balloons drift overhead, other days para gliders dance on the wind before settling down close by. Dogs romping happily on one beach, all ages of children learning to love and appreciate the water on the opposite side. And for no extra charge, the magnificent mountains in the background remind us of how fortunate we are to be alive, and in this special, quiet, peaceful place. The gentle rocking of the boat...who could have a bad day after that? read more

A clean nice beach, in landlocked Colorado. I like the rafts, and they give you some exercise on the way out. I think the water is pretty clean too. It is also cold and very refreshing during this heatwave. The lifeguards take their job very seriously, no diving or flips. We did the hike around the reservoir one day. It felt like more than the 5 mile, it could have been the heat. On the hike on the backside, there is a prairie dog nesting site, they are adorable from far away. Our family friend we were with was calling to them and they talked back. On the backside offers good secluded spots for watering your dogs. However one jerk had two aggressive dogs with no leashes on hand. You should at least have the leash handy like around your neck, so that you can get your dog on quick if it goes bonkers. There is still a leash law in the park, and we almost got bit. Dogs are not allowed at the main beach. Also when you do the hike around it spits you out of the park, so you have to re- enter. read more

$45 / year + $7 per visit is crazy expensive to go kayaking. But Boulder sold out to the highest bidder and made every other lake around this area private, so you have no other options. read more

Family friendly fun lots of space mellow crowd only issue is if you are grilling you need to rent a fire extinguisher to grill anywhere... Also 7$ per adult is pretty pricey to enter(they do give re-entry tickets tho! :) ) read more

The paddle boarding is good and the hours are excellent. I like early mornings and to be able to be on the water before 6:00AM is awesome. Staff is always pleasant too. read more

This place is well worth the visit. Great place to relax with family and friends and enjoy the beautiful Colorado sunshine. The staff is very concerned about your safety and very attentive of their surroundings. While the beach may look small, it's a great size to swim laps. The cafe has great food (the fries are delicious!) and great prices. 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND. read more

Way to be hospitable to your Ironman athletes - not!!! They charged Ironman spectators to access the reservoir for bike drop off. City of Boulder Iron athletes and there support crews are spending millions in your city - free entrance for a short drop off is not too much to ask. read more

Beach was closed and they didn't tell us. Then refused to give a refund