Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Boulder, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Poudre River Trail tracks a 21-mile, scenic course along Cache la Poudre River between Windsor and Greeley. The paved trail is popular with hikers, runners, cyclists and inline skaters. The path...
The Montezuma Spur Recpath is a short trail along Montezuma Road near Keystone, Colorado, home to the popular Keystone Resort. From the path's western end, trail users can take the Snake River Recpath...
The Dillon Dam Recpath offers a scenic route along the western shore of the Dillon Reservoir in the White River National Forest, connecting the towns of Frisco and Dillon. If you begin your journey at...
The Fraser River Trail runs between the town of Fraser and Winter Park, paralleling US 40 for its entire route. The trail offers lovely views of the surrounding mountains and is a great way to connect...
The Snake River Recpath begins in Dillon and follows the river southeast just over 6 miles to the popular Keystone Resort. Along the way, you'll enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and views of Dillon...
The Firestone Trail mostly parallels Colorado Boulevard between Dacono in the south and north of Firestone, at the northern end of the trail. The trail is paved and provides access to parks,...
The Swan Mountain Recpath is a scenic, windy route along the eastern edge of Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, Colorado. Running uphill from Keystone's Summit Cove neighborhood to the Sapphire Point...
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The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
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The Mary Carter Greenway (a.k.a. Arapahoe Greenway) runs for 8 miles along the South Platte River from Chatfield State Park near Columbine north to Englewood. Here it meets up with the Platte River...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
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The Union Pacific Trail runs for just a short distance between E. 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway in the Denver suburb of Thornton. The trail runs through a shadeless corridor alongside a railroad...
The Loveland Recreation Trail encircles the "Gateway to the Rockies," offering views of the mountains and access to many of Loveland's natural treasures. While the trail is mostly complete, there are...
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Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
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Two unpaved segments of the Great Western Trail are currently open in rural Weld County at the northwestern corner of Colorado's Eastern Plains. Both portions were built on a railbanked Great Western...
The Silverthorne Recpath runs through Silverthorne, Colorado, connecting residents and visitors with the town's various amenities and the scenic Dillon Dam Recpath at its southern end. Both trails are...
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The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Poudre River Trail tracks a 21-mile, scenic course along Cache la Poudre River between Windsor and Greeley. The paved trail is popular with hikers, runners, cyclists and inline skaters. The path...
The Firestone Trail mostly parallels Colorado Boulevard between Dacono in the south and north of Firestone, at the northern end of the trail. The trail is paved and provides access to parks,...
Note: Like most of Lyons' parks system, the Corridor Trail has been closed since a devastating flood in September 2013. Work is currently underway to reopen the closed parks and trails. See the city's...
The Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
The Snake River Recpath begins in Dillon and follows the river southeast just over 6 miles to the popular Keystone Resort. Along the way, you'll enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and views of Dillon...
Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
Two unpaved segments of the Great Western Trail are currently open in rural Weld County at the northwestern corner of Colorado's Eastern Plains. Both portions were built on a railbanked Great Western...
The Loveland Recreation Trail encircles the "Gateway to the Rockies," offering views of the mountains and access to many of Loveland's natural treasures. While the trail is mostly complete, there are...
The Silverthorne Recpath runs through Silverthorne, Colorado, connecting residents and visitors with the town's various amenities and the scenic Dillon Dam Recpath at its southern end. Both trails are...
The Dillon Dam Recpath offers a scenic route along the western shore of the Dillon Reservoir in the White River National Forest, connecting the towns of Frisco and Dillon. If you begin your journey at...
The Union Pacific Trail runs for just a short distance between E. 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway in the Denver suburb of Thornton. The trail runs through a shadeless corridor alongside a railroad...
The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
The Mary Carter Greenway (a.k.a. Arapahoe Greenway) runs for 8 miles along the South Platte River from Chatfield State Park near Columbine north to Englewood. Here it meets up with the Platte River...
The Sand Creek Regional Greenway follows Sand Creek in Denver's northeast metro area. The southern end of the trail, through Denver and Aurora, has a soft surface, which can make for a dusty ride when...
The Montezuma Spur Recpath is a short trail along Montezuma Road near Keystone, Colorado, home to the popular Keystone Resort. From the path's western end, trail users can take the Snake River Recpath...
The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
The Fowler Trail is an easy hike in scenic Eldorado Canyon State Park that provides a great place to sight wildlife, watch rock climbers, or take in stunning views of the surrounding canyon....
The Swan Mountain Recpath is a scenic, windy route along the eastern edge of Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, Colorado. Running uphill from Keystone's Summit Cove neighborhood to the Sapphire Point...
The Fraser River Trail runs between the town of Fraser and Winter Park, paralleling US 40 for its entire route. The trail offers lovely views of the surrounding mountains and is a great way to connect...
The Firestone Trail mostly parallels Colorado Boulevard between Dacono in the south and north of Firestone, at the northern end of the trail. The trail is paved and provides access to parks,...
Two unpaved segments of the Great Western Trail are currently open in rural Weld County at the northwestern corner of Colorado's Eastern Plains. Both portions were built on a railbanked Great Western...
Note: Like most of Lyons' parks system, the Corridor Trail has been closed since a devastating flood in September 2013. Work is currently underway to reopen the closed parks and trails. See the city's...
The Montezuma Spur Recpath is a short trail along Montezuma Road near Keystone, Colorado, home to the popular Keystone Resort. From the path's western end, trail users can take the Snake River Recpath...
Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
The Fowler Trail is an easy hike in scenic Eldorado Canyon State Park that provides a great place to sight wildlife, watch rock climbers, or take in stunning views of the surrounding canyon....
The Dillon Dam Recpath offers a scenic route along the western shore of the Dillon Reservoir in the White River National Forest, connecting the towns of Frisco and Dillon. If you begin your journey at...
The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
The Poudre River Trail tracks a 21-mile, scenic course along Cache la Poudre River between Windsor and Greeley. The paved trail is popular with hikers, runners, cyclists and inline skaters. The path...
The Sand Creek Regional Greenway follows Sand Creek in Denver's northeast metro area. The southern end of the trail, through Denver and Aurora, has a soft surface, which can make for a dusty ride when...
The Loveland Recreation Trail encircles the "Gateway to the Rockies," offering views of the mountains and access to many of Loveland's natural treasures. While the trail is mostly complete, there are...
The Swan Mountain Recpath is a scenic, windy route along the eastern edge of Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, Colorado. Running uphill from Keystone's Summit Cove neighborhood to the Sapphire Point...
The Mary Carter Greenway (a.k.a. Arapahoe Greenway) runs for 8 miles along the South Platte River from Chatfield State Park near Columbine north to Englewood. Here it meets up with the Platte River...
The Silverthorne Recpath runs through Silverthorne, Colorado, connecting residents and visitors with the town's various amenities and the scenic Dillon Dam Recpath at its southern end. Both trails are...
The Fraser River Trail runs between the town of Fraser and Winter Park, paralleling US 40 for its entire route. The trail offers lovely views of the surrounding mountains and is a great way to connect...
The Snake River Recpath begins in Dillon and follows the river southeast just over 6 miles to the popular Keystone Resort. Along the way, you'll enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and views of Dillon...
The Union Pacific Trail runs for just a short distance between E. 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway in the Denver suburb of Thornton. The trail runs through a shadeless corridor alongside a railroad...
The Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
A friend and I biked this trail on a Sunday afternoon. It was magical. A slight incline from East to West but so much fun on the way back! Plenty of overlooks to view the stream that runs along side the trail. And plenty of parking. I can't wait to be back.
From Quincy north this is a nice wide cement trail that is in great condition. Only a gentle climb here and there, great views, and no traffic issues make this trail a pleasure to ride. However there are no connections until the end at Stephen D Hogan Pkwy. Hampden is an overpass to the trail and 470 with no connection, and Hampden is not bike friendly at all at this location. Jewell is a tunnel underpass. On both sides there are dirt construction roads that are no longer being used and are quickly becoming overgrown with weeds. You can still access Jewell but beware the goat head stickers and be warned that Jewell is only semi bike friendly. There is a shoulder but traffic flies by at highway speed. The trail ends at SDH Pkwy. Here there is a soft trail on the south side of the Pkwy and at highway 30 (where SDH becomes 6th Ave) you are fenced in and forced to take the underpass. After the underpass you can continue on the Sand Creek soft trail or ride up a dirt path to 6th Ave. On the north side of SDH you can ride the shoulder but after highway 30, while on 6th, the shoulder disappears for about a half mile and again it is a scary ride.
From Quincy south you start on an asphalt road then back on cement. It is a climb to Smoky Hill Rd. The crossing is on grade and there is a lot of traffic. Right after the crossing is a steep decent, then a climb again as the trail and 470 are on an overpass of Arapahoe Rd. (You can access Arapahoe by taking a descending trail to Ponderosa and that to Arapahoe) Another climb to Gartrell Rd. where you have to ride the sidewalk to the light at Dry Creek to cross, then back up to the trail. And finally another climb past Liberty Middle School to Ireland Way where the trail is closed behind a locked gate. You can see the trail continue but there is no safe way to cross Parker Rd at Cottonwood so the trail is closed here. You can read more here:
http://parkerrec.com/1995/High-Plains-Trail
When I first got my bike I had no idea all these trails existed. A friend came over to show me a few things and we discovered the Toll Gate Trail by accident. Later, while riding the Toll Gate, I saw a trail map by Hutchinson Pond and discovered the sidewalk that led to the Central Rec Center was actually the start of the Unnamed Creek Trail. The trail has a signaled crossing at Tower, follows the creek, loops through Flanders Park, and runs along the creek again to the soccer fields near Hampden and Himalaya. Technically the trail ends here but there is an underpass at Hampden and you can hook up with the Conservatory Trail south to Quincy. There is a climb to Reservoir Rd then a descent back to the Toll Gate for a short loop. You can also go north on Conservatory to Power Line to Toll Gate for a longer loop.
It got a little bit confusing in a few areas for those of us who are directionally challenged. But it was a fine fall flat ride. ¿
I did the Long view trail for the first time and it was a challenge. It has some good sized hills. I did the long loop from Laporte to Loveland over to Boyd lake and back to north Fort Collins. I started from my home town of Laporte and ended north Fort Collins near highway One. 34 miles.
We started at the Environment Education Center and rode to Bellvue. Even with a stronger than mild wind the scenery kept my mind off the wind. (Coming back with the wind was great!¿) On the way back we followed signs to down town And found, Tom Kha Thai Asian Bistro. What a delightful restaurant and reasonably priced for lunch. We continued through town across the college campus and found the Spring Canyon Park trail. Spring Canyon was beautiful. We found a blow snake more than half the path width! Back across town to the truck. Overall a 40 mile ride!
Both the main trails in Longmont are flat, concrete and perfectly maintained. There is currently a bike detour to get between the trails but it is hard to see going NW.
Beware Cherry Hills and Greenwood Village portions of this trail. These jurisdictions have banned ebikes and are bike police monitoring
The southern 26 miles (upstream from Cherry Creek Dam) is definitely 5- Star (Arapahoe and Douglas Counties). The southern part has many areas in natural and beautiful settings and the use is moderate. Very pleasant. Parker and South-Suburban does a great job keeping them nice.
The Northern 14 miles (Downstream from dam) is 3-star (Denver City & County). It is urban, lots of local road traffic as well as high use. Watch out for the bikers and the Lance-Wannabees who will not call themselves out as the pass and ride between 15 - 30 mph. They can ride in pelotons dominating the path and get angry if you are in there way. Many though are courteous. Be very careful though if you are out with your kids and leashed dogs. There are also an increasing amount of e-bikes as well that are riding fast even though they are forbidden on the trail. Denver does not patrol their paths and trails
Good trail overall. No trail between mile 9.5 and 11.25. Do not try to walk on Santa Fe here - that is suicidal. Best trail (in the rich neighborhoods) between Hampden / CO Blvd to Broadway-Very Nice. Denver parts are so-so to OK, same with Aurora. Only a few mile-post markers missing. Watch out for bike riders, many feel they own the trail and maybe 5% call out before passing you. I walked all the trail after having hip replacement surgery between April -August 2021.
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