Thanks to its setting in the shadow of magnificent foothills and the vision of its open-space managers, Boulder has long boasted a remarkable array of great hiking opportunities mere minutes from Pearl Street.
The bevy of wonderful destinations administered by the city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) includes Boulder Falls, Chautauqua, Flagstaff, Flatirons Vista and Mount Sanitas. Boulder County Open Space also has a wealth of outstanding settings in which to hike, run or ride a mountain bike.
Now, there’s an exceptional new trail above Boulder called Anemone Loop that we think is well worth driving up from Denver to explore. It’s our favorite among five Front Range recreational destinations we like that opened in the past year or two.
Anemone Loop Trail, Boulder
Anemone Hill looms just west of Boulder where Pearl Street ends, positioned between Boulder Canyon to the south and Mount Sanitas to the north. This year, OSMP debuted the Anemone Loop, a hike of about four miles (including feeder trails) that takes hikers and trail runners through stands of ponderosa pine and beside foothills meadows. It ascends 630 feet, providing magnificent views of downtown Boulder, the University of Colorado campus, the Boulder Turnpike and the flatlands east of Boulder.
It’s also a bit of an engineering triumph, given that 85 tons of rock were flown up the mountain via helicopter to construct retaining walls and build more than 400 steps for some of the steeper sections. Construction began in May 2020 and was completed this year.
While gorgeous views are numerous along the trail, there are short spur trails to two wonderful overlooks called Reflection Point and Anemone Point. There’s another spur near the foot of the trail that leads to a dramatic sandstone formation called Red Rocks. You can hike right up to the rocks, which rise vertically, and we highly recommend adding 5 minutes to your hike to admire them close up.
The Anemone Loop is accessed by two trailheads on the east. One is located at a very small parking area called The People’s Crossing (named to honor Indigenous peoples who lived in the area) where Pearl Street dead-ends at Boulder Canyon Drive. The other is the Centennial trailhead, not quite a mile west of Broadway via Mapleton Avenue, which turns into Sunshine Canyon Drive. We recommend the latter, which has 33 parking spaces (two of which are designated ADA spaces) because the other one is even smaller (26, one of which is ADA).
Sandstone Ranch in Perry Park, Douglas County
Another great new place to hike, run or mountain bike is Sandstone Ranch in Perry Park, which is part of Douglas County Open Space (and should not be confused with Sandstone Ranch Community Park & Nature Area in Longmont). It’s a long drive for most in the metro area, 27 miles south of C-470 and 4 miles west of Larkspur, but we think it’s well worth it.
Sandstone Ranch has 12 miles of trails, many of them closely lined by dense scrub oak and juniper trees. The terrain has enough elevation variation to be interesting, not intimidating, although mountain bikers will find some drops that require close attention.
There are spectacular red rock formations and great views of surrounding terrain, which is dramatic and rolling, set against the backdrop of the Rampart Range to the west.
Here are some other relatively recent open space additions that merit a visit:
39th Avenue Greenway, Denver
This amenity, which opened in November 2020, added 12 acres of open space in Denver’s Cole and Clayton neighborhoods while improving stormwater drainage in a restored flood plain.
Stretching just under a mile between Franklin and Steele streets, the Greenway is a wide waterway channel surrounded by native vegetation that collects, filters, absorbs and moves stormwater to an eventual “outfall” at Globeville Landing on the South Platte River, about a half mile away. Along that channel, located just blocks from RiNo, the Greenway has pollinator gardens, playgrounds, swinging benches and lots of educational signage.
There is also a bicycle repair station at the western end but, alas, most of the tools have been cut from its steel cables and stolen.
Arkins Park-Globeville Landing, Denver
In July, Denver celebrated the opening of the Arkins Promenade in RiNo, which is intended to be a gathering place with a 400-foot-long elevated walkway above the South Platte River. It has seating areas, porch swings, a play area for kids and scenic views.
The promenade is in a pedestrian corridor situated between 35th and 38th streets, paralleling the South Platte River bike path, but eventually it will extend southwest to 29th Street. It already connects to Globeville Landing Park, just to the northeast on the other side of 38th Street, which was redesigned and improved in a project that was completed in 2019. Eventually, the entire corridor will be more than a mile long from 29th Street to Globeville Landing.
Overlooking the South Platte, Globeville Landing is a 10.7-acre park with play areas, gathering spots and river access. The South Platte River bike path passes through it. It would make a nice rest stop on a long bike ride.
Gateway extension, Clear Creek Canyon Park, Golden
Jefferson County Open Space opened a 1.75-mile extension of the Peaks to Plains trail last year at the mouth of the canyon just west of Golden. The addition essentially extended the Clear Creek bike path, which begins at the South Platte in Commerce City, into the canyon. In the canyon extension, a steep rock wall looms 600 feet above the trail to the south. On the north side of the canyon, across the creek and U.S. 6, there is a 7,200 foot peak named Mount Galbraith, similar in elevation to Lookout Mountain, that glows in early morning light.
Soon, a short extension will be added on the west. Beyond that, the next segment of the Peaks to Plains trail is under construction and is scheduled to open in early 2025. It will add almost 3 miles of new trail with two new trailheads and eight bridges over Clear Creek. Eventually, the Peaks to Plains trail will extend all the way up the canyon to Idaho Springs and beyond.
