Cross-Country Ski & Snowshow Guide

Snowshoe trails crisscross Boulder County and are perfect for a chilly-weather frolic. Photo by Geir Olav Lyngfjell

Trails reported to allow leashed dogs are marked with a

ALLENSPARK

Take Colorado Highway 7 west from Lyons or Colorado Highway 72 north from Nederland to Colorado Highway 7. Continue north about 5 miles.

Ski Road to Old Ski Area (easy) Enter Allenspark via the old highway at the top of the hill and head east through town to County Road 107 (Ski Road). Follow the road south, then west to where it’s no longer plowed. Start skiing here and bear left at all forks. The common turnaround for the 5-mile round trip is the old ski area.

BOULDER

The Boulder Nordic Club sets up fun community cross-country courses right in town, and local Nordic fans are always hanging around to give out free tips. 303-530-1253, 720-352-7808; check for news and snow conditions at www.bouldernordic.org.

North Boulder Park (easy) This open, level lawn at 9th Street and Alpine Avenue is popular after heavy snowfalls. Boulder Nordic Club sets up skate-skiing and diagonal touring tracks.

Valmont Park (easy) Nordic skiing became available last year at this undeveloped park site at Valmont and Airport roads. A 1.5-to-2k outer touring loop encompasses two hills, one of which has a very nice sledding slope.

Go to top

BRAINARD LAKE

Take Colorado Highway 72 north past Ward to Brainard Lake Road and head 3 miles west to the winter closure gate. Trails are marked with blue diamonds or brown-and-white cross-country trail markers. The Colorado Mountain Club’s Brainard Cabin is open on weekends, with coffee and hot chocolate through March, for $1 per visitor. Colorado Mountain Club: 303-554-7688; U.S. Forest Service: 970-295-6600.

CMC North (Waldrop) Trail (easy/moderate) Follow signs to this gentle trail on the north side of Brainard Lake Drive past the winter closure gate. At the 1-mile mark, the left fork shortcuts to Brainard Lake. The right fork intersects the west end of Brainard Lake Road, the jumping-off point for Long and Mitchell lake tours (below). Continue on the road to CMC South Trail (below), just east of the clearing, for a 3.5-mile round trip.

CMC South Trail (moderate) Begin at Left Hand Reservoir Road (just before the winter closure gate) and follow it to the cutoff for CMC South Trail on the right. After the first short hill, the trail stays level to Brainard Lake.

Left Hand Reservoir Trail (easy) Begin on the south side of Brainard Lake Road before the winter closure gate. Follow the winding uphill road to Left Hand Reservoir, crossing Sourdough Trail on the way; then return for a 3.6-mile round trip.

Long Lake/Lake Isabelle Trail (moderate/advanced) Follow CMC South Trail (above) west of Brainard Lake to Long Lake trailhead. At approximately 1.5 miles, the trail splits. The left fork, the Jean Lunning Trail, loops around Long Lake for a 7-mile round trip. The right fork also loops the lake and accesses a cutoff with a steep 1.6-mile climb to Isabelle Lake.

Mitchell Lake/Blue Lake Trail (moderate/advanced) Follow CMC North Trail (above) west of Brainard Lake, turn right and continue 1 mile to Mitchell Lake trailhead. Climb steadily through the trees to Mitchell Lake for a 7-mile round trip from the trailhead. Blue Lake is another 1.3 miles up the trail.

Go to top

ELDORA MOUNTAIN RESORT

Take Boulder Canyon Drive (Colorado Highway 119) to Nederland and continue south to the Eldora turnoff (County Road 130). Turn left at the sign for Eldora Mountain Resort. Eldora Mountain Resort Nordic Center offers groomed trails and snowshoe-only trails that connect to trails on U.S. Forest Service land. Rentals, lessons and guided snowshoe tours are available. 303-440-8700; www.eldora.com. The ski area is the jump-off point for trails that access Yankee Doodle Lake and the CMC’s Arestua Hut atop Guinn Mountain. Colorado Mountain Club: 303-554-7688.

Guinn Mountain Trail (advanced) Follow Jenny Creek Trail (below) to the Guinn Mountain Trail sign. From here the right-hand fork leads 4 miles up Guinn Mountain to the Arestua Hut.

Jenny Creek Trail to Yankee Doodle Lake (moderate) The trail begins at Eldora Mountain Resort’s lower parking lot and follows blue-diamond markers left of the Ho-Hum lift and along the eastern edge of the bunny slope. At the top, turn right and follow trail signs through the woods. After 2 miles, the trail merges with Jenny Creek Road. A short, steep climb takes you around the south side of Guinn Mountain and 3 miles to Yankee Doodle Lake.

Go to top

Sometimes the best part of a day spent skiing is when you finally take a break for hot cocoa or chili. Photo by Muriel Lasure

THE TOWN OF ELDORA

Take Boulder Canyon Drive (Colorado Highway 119) south of Nederland to County Road 130 and go west to where the pavement ends at the town of Eldora. Take County Road 111 (maintained in summer only) to Hessie and Fourth of July. Arrive early and park in a designated spot or your car will be towed.

Fourth of July (moderate) Take County Road 111 to the fork at the 0.8-mile mark and continue right for 5 moderate miles to the campground in the valley below Mount Neva and South Arapaho Peak.

Jasper Lake/Devil’s Thumb Lake Trail (moderate/advanced) Take County Road 111 to the fork at the 0.8-mile mark and continue right 2.6 miles to Jasper Lake Trail. At the Diamond Lake Trail marker, turn left and descend 0.9 miles to Jasper Lake. The 5.9-mile trip can be extended to Devil’s Thumb Lake (another steep 0.8 miles).

King Lake Trail (advanced) Take County Road 111 to the fork at the 0.8-mile marker and continue left past Hessie town site. Follow the King Lake Trail signs along the south fork of Middle Boulder Creek to King Lake.

Go to top

I-70 CORRIDOR AND BERTHOUD PASS

For information on cross-country skiing and snowshoeing near Mount Evans, check with the Clear Creek Ranger Visitor Center on Colorado Highway 103 (Exit 240 off I-70), call 303-567-3000 or see fs.fed.us.

Devil’s Canyon (advanced) Take Colorado Highway 103 (Exit 240 off I-70) approximately 10 miles south from Idaho Springs. The trailhead is on the east side of the highway, 0.25 miles past the Ponder Point picnic area. It’s a 6-mile round trip.

Grizzly Gulch (moderate) Take I-70 west to Bakerville (Exit 221) and park at the turnout on the south side of the highway. Ski up the road to Gray’s/Torreys peaks, staying right at the 1-mile fork to end up in the cirque below Torreys Peak. It’s a long, 8-mile cruise.

Herman Gulch (advanced/avalanche danger) Take I-70 west to Exit 218. The trailhead for the remote 6.2-mile round trip to Herman Lake, just below the Divide, is on the north side of the highway.

Old Squaw Pass Road (easy/moderate) Take Colorado Highway 103 (Exit 240 off I-70) south from Idaho Springs to Echo Lake (16 miles). The trailhead is approximately 5 miles beyond Echo Lake on the south side of the highway. It’s a 7-mile round trip.

Stevens Gulch (moderate/advanced) Take I-70 west to Bakerville (Exit 221) and park at the turnout on the south side of the highway. Ski up the road to Gray’s/Torreys peaks, bearing left at the 1-mile fork. Continue up the road through the valley to the head of the Gray’s/Torreys cirque. It’s a 8-mile round trip.

Go to top

PEACEFUL VALLEY AND BEAVER RESERVOIR ROAD

Peaceful Valley is approximately 5.5 miles north of Ward on Colorado Highway 72. Park at the turnout at the bottom of the hill. Beaver Reservoir Road (County Road 96) turns west off Colorado Highway 72 approximately 2.5 miles north of Ward. Park on the north side of the reservoir.

Coney Flats Trail (moderate) Coney Flats trailhead starts just west of Beaver Reservoir on the north side of the road. Stay right at trail junctions and wind 3 miles through pine trees till the descent to Middle St. Vrain Road, the turnaround.

Middle St. Vrain Valley/Buchanan Pass (moderate/advanced) Take the trail on the north side of Middle St. Vrain Creek just west of Camp Dick/Peaceful Valley campground, which joins the Middle St. Vrain four-wheel-drive road. It’s a 14-mile round trip to the pass.

Sourdough Trail (advanced) This trail’s northernmost access is 200 yards east of Beaver Reservoir. It leads 7.5 miles south over rolling hills to Brainard Lake Drive, then continues another 7.7 miles to Rainbow Lakes Road, east of the CU Mountain Research Station. Park a second car accordingly.

Go to top

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

The Rocky Mountain National Park Beaver Meadows entrance and the Visitors Center on U.S. Highway 36 offer maps detailing 40 miles of marked trails near Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge, plus 88 miles of mostly unmarked trails in Wild Basin (accessed off Colorado Highway 7, one mile north of Allenspark). 970-586-1206; www.nps.gov/romo.

Black Lake (moderate/advanced) From the Beaver Meadows entrance, take U.S. Highway 36 to the Glacier Gorge Junction parking lot. Head up Alberta Falls/Mills Lake Trail, taking the right fork at the 1.3-mile point. At the next junction, take the left fork to Glacier Gorge (the right fork leads to Loch Vale). At Mills Lake, you have a choice. The snow is usually reliable through the trees on the east shore, but if the lake is frozen under snow, ski right across it. Pass Jewel Lake and climb to the alpine cirque of Black Lake. It’s an 8-mile round trip.

Emerald Lake (easy/moderate) From the Beaver Meadows entrance, take U.S. Highway 36 to Bear Lake Road and the Bear Lake parking lot. From there, follow trail markers past Nymph and Dream lakes to Emerald Lake. It’s a 3.6-mile round trip.

Lake Helene (moderate) From the Beaver Meadows entrance take U.S. Highway 36 to Bear Lake Road and the Bear Lake parking lot. The trail heads northeast for 0.4 miles. At the Bierstadt Lake Trail, go left for 0.9 miles to the intersection with Flat Top Mountain Trail. Take the right fork 2.9 miles to Lake Helene.

Wild Basin (varying difficulty) Take Colorado Highway 7 one mile north of Allenspark. Turn west at the Wild Basin entrance. From the winter parking lot, the road connects with moderate trails to Calypso Cascade (3.6-mile round trip) and Ouzel Falls (6.2-mile round trip), and strenuous jaunts to Bluebird, Thunder or Lion lakes (each an 11.6-mile round trip).

Go to top

Photo by Bruce Whedon

ROLLINS PASS

Take Colorado Highway 119 approximately 5 miles south of Nederland to Rollinsville and turn west on County Road 16 (Rollins Pass Road). 303-541-2500.

Forest Lakes (moderate/advanced) Take County Road 16 approximately 7 miles to the parking lot at the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel. Cross a fence and head southwest for 1 mile; then take a sharp right. At the 2.3-mile marker, continue right for about a quarter-mile to Forest Lakes. It’s a 6-mile round trip with good snow—even in early season.

Mammoth Gulch (moderate) Take County Road 16 from Rollinsville to Tolland. Then turn left on County Road 4N, follow it 2 miles and watch for the wide turn to Mammoth Gulch trail access point (snow permitting). Head in 4 miles along a narrow four-wheel-drive road along Mammoth Gulch. Two miles in, there’s a gate to maneuver. Don’t forget to look up for views of James Peak.

Go to top

SNOW MOUNTAIN RANCH

This YMCA of the Rockies facility is 12 miles past Winter Park on U.S. Highway 40. It offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and more on 5,100 acres. 970-887-2152 ext. 4173; www.ymcarockies.com.

Go to top