Mesa Trail | Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks
Boulder, CO | 04/04/20| 7.16 miles | 1,409′ gain
My friend Allie and I took one last hike together before she left to spend lockdown at her parents’ house. She had come up with an idea to hike the entire length of the Mesa Trail in Boulder. This would be a serious undertaking as an out and back (14 miles!), so we parked a car at each end and walked from south to north. Seven miles is a much more manageable hike!
The Mesa Trail hugs the base of the Flatirons, and although it gained over 1,400′ elevation, it always felt gradual. From the southern trailhead, the Mesa Trail starts out wide and smooth. It winds its way through shortgrass prairie and into the forest, where the trail narrows and becomes more rugged. The previous night’s snow and ice remained on the surrounding trees and Flatirons.
Although we walked just over 7 miles, it went by very quickly and it felt like much less. I was disappointed to find that I hadn’t taken very many pictures along the way. I suppose everything looked similar enough that I didn’t think to snap a new photo.
I don’t typically do point-to-point hikes since arranging a shuttle isn’t always easy, but this was a really fun and easy option.
Chelsea
Colorado Chelsea 
One of my favorite trails. Thx for the post.
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Thanks for reading! 🙂
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I like Otis & Harper🙂
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Aren’t they so cute 🙂
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The snow is beautiful! Smart idea on the cars.
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Thank you! I love how the snow turned out in photos.
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I love point to points. Fun to retrace so you get the different perspective. Makes one hike into two. Bet the dogs were happy too. Hope you all are enjoying lock down in the woods.
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I love any kind of hike, but loops will always be my favorite. 🙂 Thank you for reading!
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Colorado is on our family’s list of places to visit in the next year! I am now a follower!
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That’s awesome! I’m sure you will enjoy visiting. Thank you for following, and I hope you’re able to find some new places to visit from my blog!
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