The Open Space and Mountain Parks Department preserves and protects the natural environment and land resources that characterize Boulder. We foster appreciation and use that sustain the natural values of the land for current and future generations.

City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks

Along the Mesa Trail, a hiker can enjoy many ecotones and scenery that encompasses grass and shrub lands, transitional forests, iconic rock formations, and critical ecosystems that provide habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal species.

Still the legacy of agriculture's past remains as smooth brome grass dominates the foreground. It was introduced as a fast growing and hearty grass to provide feed for farms and the pack animals working mines in the high country. Although a long and tedious task, OSMP has been restoring and reintroducing natives such as Big & Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, and Indiangrass.

Mesa Trail

Take in the iconic view of the Flatirons and Chautauqua Meadow! Feel free to include yourself and friends in a picture with all the beauty that surrounds this special place.

Founded in 1898, The Colorado Chautauqua has been a center of musical, arts, and educational programming for over 125 years. The area includes over 40 miles of trails meandering through meadows, forests, and striking rock formations including the famous Boulder Flatirons. 

Find a moment to pause and reflect on the geology, the ecology, and the natural beauty before you in this amazing viewshed.

Chautauqua Meadow

Home to miles of OSMP trails, the Mt. Sanitas area has classic hikes frequented by locals and visitors alike. Given the high visitation, sharp topography, and legacy trails from the early 1900's, OSMP dedicates significant annual resources maintaining unsustainable trail sections. 

In 2024, OSMP was awarded a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) matching grant to improve legacy Sanitas trails, climbing and bouldering areas, and designate trails to the Sanitas quarry and new access points. This multi-year project will provide better visitor access, reduce maintenance needs with more sustainable trails, close and restore undesignated trails, all with a goal of a better visitor experience and protecting sensitive habitat blocks. 

Interest in helping match the LWCF grant? Visit the Boulder Open Space Conservancy for info. 

Mt. Sanitas

OSMP recently removed the East Boulder Ditch diversion headgate and installed a fish passage to allow for more natural creek flow and better upstream movement by fish in South Boulder Creek. As part of the headgate removal and fish passage installation, significant riparian restoration and erosion controls were implemented along the creek. 

In this view is the restoration area at the former headgate location with native shrub and tree plantings near the monitoring structure for the East Boulder Ditch. 

East Boulder Ditch Headgate

In 2023, OSMP restored wetland and riparian habitat on 150 acres of formally gravel mined land along Boulder Creek.  

The project included conducting extensive earthwork and recontouring the site to create the appropriate hydrology to support a diverse mix of wet meadow, emergent marsh, riparian habitat, open water and mesic grassland.  

Watch as native grasses, shrubs and trees get established in newly vegetated areas and wildlife returns to this important habitat.

Ertl - White Rocks Wetland Restoration

In 2022, a human caused fire spread on the opposite hillside and burned about 190 acres on Open Space & Mountain Parks property in and around Bear Canyon. 

A rapid response on the ground and in the air, paired with strategic forest thinning by OSMP's Forest Ecology Managment Program(FEMP), helped reduce fire intensity and limit impact to the dense residential community to the east. 

Watch as the land heals and the burn scar continues to be filled in by native grasses and vegetation. This area is also a cattle grazing site as part of OSMP's initiative to reduce invasive Tall Oat Grass and overall fuel load that contributes to more intense fires.

NCAR Fire Burnscar

Help us monitor a 2024 project site where OSMP closed and restored social trails transecting a critical habitat block within the new Vesper Trail corridor.  

Keep an eye out for burrowing owls, grasshopper sparrows, and raptors hunting in the prairies.   

Watch the restored social trail revegetate and blend with the landscape as time allows the land to heal.

Gunbarrel Hill Restoration Area

Watch as riparian habitat restoration takes place along the Lower McClintock Trail in the Bluebell Canyon drainage near Chautauqua! 

Recently, OSMP cleared remaining debris from the 2013 floods, removed non-native invasive trees including borer-effected Green Ash, and planted natives such as Hackberry, Skunk Brush, and American Plum.

This drainage is a black bear and wildlife corridor, so watch for visitor photos capturing some quintessential Boulder fauna! 

Lower McClintock Restoration

In view is the North Sky Trail crossing the south bridge and continuing on a 19th century railroad grade into the North Foothills Habitat Conservation Area (HCA). 

The HCA is home to Bell's twinpod - a rare, globally imperiled plant that grows on barren shale patches...and in the entire world, only in Boulder and Larimer counties! 

Staying on designated trails in this area helps OSMP ensure this fragile ecosystem remains stable and healthy so Bell's twinpod can survive and thrive in a world with ever increasing pressure on the land.  

North Foothills

OSMP is restoring unsustainable social trails that were in the sensitive riparian corridor along South Boulder Creek. This area is host to Preble's Jumping Mouse, a protected species, along with several rare or protected plants and animals. 

In 1999, the City of Boulder and State of Colorado established the South Boulder Creek Natural Area which includes this restoration area, along with 1200 acres of surrounding high-value riparian and grassland habitats. 

City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks

Colorado

10 chronologs managed by City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks

Lower McClintock Restoration

Mesa Trail

South Boulder Creek