Type: Trail, Loop
Difficulty: 6 / 10
Altitude: 5,540 ft
Dog Friendly: Yes
Jog-Stroller Friendly: No
Filed Under: Hiking, Running
From the South Boulder Creek West Trailhead parking lot, run west on the gravel road that runs tangent to the parking lot. after approximately .25 miles you will encounter an Open Space gate. Go through the gate (you are now on the Big Bluestem Trail proper) and continue running towards the mountains (west) for another 1.6 miles on a gravel road. After going through several Open Space interior gates, the gravel road will eventually turn south and become a narrow trail.
At 1.8 miles the Big Bluestem will take a sharp right turn at a small trail junction. Take this westward for about .8 miles up a continuously steep hill to a T junction with the Mesa Trail. Turn right here and head north on the Mesa Trail. After .9 miles on the Mesa Trail turn right (east) on to the North Fork Shanahan Trail. This quickly turns to gravel and heads back downhill. Take this appoximately 1.6 miles down the gravel road which will eventually turn south for .3 miles.
At a sharp right-hand turn in the gravel road, there will be a small footpath that continues south (where the road turns back uphill to the west). Take this small rocky trail for approximately .6 miles until it jions back up with the Big Bluestem Trail (gravel road). Turn left here and run back to the South Boulder Creek Trailhead and your car.
Driving south from Boulder on Broadway (Hwy. 93), the South Boulder Creek West Trailhead will be on your right approximately 2 miles after the last traffic light (Greenbriar) in the Boulder city limits.
Driving on Hwy. 93 from the south, the Boulder Creek West Trailhead is located on your left approximately 1 mile north of the Hwy. 93/Eldorado Springs Drive intersection.
Comments
Dave said ...
The first half uphill was a heart pumper! The return down the gravel path was really fast. So, the run gave both strong uphill and downhill workouts.
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