City: Boulder, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Description: The Mesa Trail—also a popular running trail—begins just below the Bluebell Shelter at Chautauqua Park and leads 6 miles south to Eldorado Springs, with close-up views of the Flatirons and Front Range and sweeping vistas of the plains. The steep, strenuous 3-mile (round-trip) hike to the Royal Arch from Chautauqua is a local favorite. Access it south of Bluebell Shelter at the end of Bluebell Road in Chautauqua Park. The trail quickly climbs almost 1,500 feet on the slopes of Green Mountain to the natural sandstone arch, which offers superb vistas.An easier trail, and one suited for young children or tired adults, is the McClintock Nature Trail (2.5 miles round-trip) at Enchanted Mesa. Begin at the picnic shelter next to Chautauqua Auditorium in Chautauqua Park and descend to cross Bluebell Creek and arrive at a fork. Take the right branch that climbs to intersect the Enchanted Mesa Road at an old apple tree. Cross the road and continue uphill along the creek. Look for interesting interpretive signs on the area’s natural history. The trail then reaches the Mesa Trail, where you turn left (south) and continue .75 mile to a large trail intersection. Take the left fork, passing a covered reservoir to reach the Enchanted Mesa Road, which is closed to traffic. Pines and wildflowers invite a picnic on the mesa top, and this gentle trail also makes a nice moonlight hike. Enchanted Mesa Road intersects McClintock Trail at Bluebell Creek, and this makes a return loop to Chautauqua, downhill all the way back.