Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Department will complete two new trails this summer: the 1.5-mile Vesper Trail on Gunbarrel Hill, and the 3.5-mile North Sky Trail that will connect Boulder’s Foothills Trail to the Joder Ranch Trail north of the city.
The construction of these new trails are part of an extensive trail repair, construction and maintenance program Boulder plans to implement this year to help community members enjoy open space, according to a city news release.
Vesper Trail will likely be completed in late June, but due to possible weather-related construction delays, does not have a set opening date. The trail will run parallel to Lookout Road near the intersection of 75th Street and Lookout Road, and hikers can access it from Boulderado Drive and Cambridge Street in the northeast corner of the Heatherwood neighborhood, according to city documents.
The construction of the Vesper Trail will run alongside ecological restoration in the area, according to the city website. Boulder plans to close and restore undesignated trails and seed grassland areas with native vegetation near the trail in order to help improve habitats for ground-nesting birds and other wildlife species. It will also surface the new Vesper Trail with road base to minimize erosion and reduce muddy trail conditions in the area.
North Sky Trail will likely open in mid-July, and the city is planning to host an opening celebration event later in July, according to a news release. The trail will run north of Boulder and west of U.S. 36, providing hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians with the opportunity to travel all the way from Boulder to Left Hand Canyon.
According to the city website, the North Sky Trail will follow sections of an existing railroad grade built in the 1880s, parts of which already serve as an undesignated trail. It also requires the construction of two trail bridges, the 50-foot South Bridge, spanning a through-cut in the railroad grade embankment, and the the 38-foot Schneider Draw Bridge, spanning the Schneider Draw drainage.
To see current closures across the city’s trail system, visit . Visitors can view alternate trail and trailhead destinations and trail construction updates through the city website, .
