---

Fowler Trail | Eldorado Canyon State Park

Boulder, CO | 05/07/20| 4.36 miles | 329′ gain

---

My friend Tori and I met up for a quick and easy hike in Boulder before work. The Fowler Trail extends east from Eldorado Canyon State Park into Boulder Open Space & Mountain Park (OSMP) property. I didn’t realize before we hiked this, but the eastern terminus of the Fowler Trail is also a trailhead. There is no fee to park at the eastern OSMP trailhead, but a state park pass is required to park inside the state park (at the western trailhead). I have an annual pass, so we parked inside Eldorado Canyon.

The drive into Eldorado Canyon is always gorgeous, but we enjoyed taking our time walking through it along the Fowler Trail. This is a wide and gradual trail, perfect for a quick morning hike. We climbed slightly as we made our way to the mouth of the canyon.

The canyon walls and rock formations are pretty spectacular and apparently even provide nesting habitat for golden eagles. We scanned the skies but didn’t see any.

Once out of the canyon, the forest opened up a bit and we were treated to a number of blooms.

Also, tent caterpillars were EVERYWHERE. Ick.

We wrapped around a final ridge as the trail descended from forest to shrubland and eventually prairie.

Once we reached the eastern terminus of the Fowler Trail, we of course had to reverse our route. Most of the elevation gain was on the way back!

This is a really quick and surprisingly scenic trail, particularly in the spring when the flowers are blooming! A fun way to start a morning.

---

Chelsea

---