Mallory Cave | Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks
Boulder, CO | 10/15/20 | 3.43 miles | 1,043′ gain
Mallory Cave had been on my list for the longest time, but it’s tricky to plan for. The final section of trail (a rock scramble) is only open October through March, generally the months with the most snow and ice. The scramble is tough to begin with, and with any ice present, it becomes a little too sketchy for me. Kyle and I had hiked as far as we could once, but ice present on the scramble turned us around. A few years later I had the opportunity to return with friends and thankfully we had a nice dry day.
We started from the NCAR parking lot at 8:45am on a Thursday. We followed the NCAR trail about a mile down to the intersection with the Mesa Trail. This section is pretty flat and open.
When we reached the Mesa Trail, we followed signs for the Mallory Cave Trail. It’s another 0.8 miles to the cave from here, and most of the hike’s elevation is gained in this stretch.
We entered the forest and hiked amongst the rock spires of the Flatirons. There is a ton of rock climbing in this area, and as such there are numerous climber’s trails. It was difficult to stay on the main trail but with careful route-finding, we figured it out.
After about 0.8 miles, the Mallory Cave Trail stops at the base of a slanted rock face. A sign points upward. The easy part of our journey was over.
The first section is the hardest. I’ve seen ratings anywhere from Class 3 to Class 4. One move in particular felt difficult since there weren’t many obvious holds, but otherwise it was manageable. Once past this section, there are few remaining obstacles. We crawled through a short tunnel and then scrambled up a second (easier) section. The cave is just past the second scramble, behind the trees in the below picture.
The cave itself is permanently closed to prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome to the resident Townsend’s big-eared bats. White-Nose Syndrome is a fungus that is easily transmitted by humans on shoes and clothing, and can kill up to 100% of a bat population.
We were happy to stay out and keep the bats safe, and enjoyed a quick peek into the cave. We couldn’t see very far in and there wasn’t much room to walk around, so the pictures aren’t the best. Admittedly the cave itself is underwhelming, the journey to get to the cave is the best part.
After we were finished at the cave, we made our way back down the scrambly sections. I needed a little help with foot placement on the most difficult move, and I was very glad to have a more confident friend to help! Another solo hiker also needed some assistance so we helped him up and then waited a few minutes for him to visit the cave and climb back down. It’s so much easier with a spotter!
Since this is an out-and-back hike, we retraced our steps down the Mallory Trail and back up the NCAR Trail to the trailhead. This hike might be short, but it packs a lot into just a few miles. Mallory Cave is a must-do hike in Boulder for anyone comfortable making the scramble.
Chelsea
Colorado Chelsea 
I would love to hike there! The climbing part looks a bit scary. Was it very hard?
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It was hard for me since I’m afraid of heights and not very experienced with rock climbing, but it is likely easy for those who are more comfortable.
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Congrats! I think I would struggle. The last time I had to scramble, I got pretty stressed out 😊
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I could never do that climb! Glad you did it though, marvelous pictures!
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It was totally worth it!
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That’s a serious scramble! I love the rock that you’re hiking and climbing on. It’s so colourful. Maggie
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I believe the rock is a type of sandstone, nice & grippy and also pretty 🙂
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Interesting hike report! Reminds me of enjoyable exploration, with my kids, of Colorado’s Fulford Cave, near Eagle.
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I haven’t heard of that one! I’ll have to look into it.
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Very nice Chelsea and great to see the scrambling part!
Few years ago, I also started scrambling on some hiking routes, and since then I have been”infected” by the climbing “virus” and upon that I was always searching for routes that combine so some climbing.
Thanks for sharing.
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The plan for this summer is to get more into scrambling. There are so many options for great scrambling in Colorado, I just have to work myself up to it and practice some more!
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That sounds like a good plan!
I look forward to your scrambling/climbing future adventures.
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Wow, that last part looks like fun! I always find the upwards scramble fun and exciting and the downwards scramble (is that what it’s called when descending?) terrifying!
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Yes! It’s so much harder going down! Downwards scramble or downclimb should work well to describe it!
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The scramble up the rock face looks terrifying! I don’t know which would be worse: going up or down. Good thing it wasn’t raining!
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Down is ALWAYS worse! I can never figure out where to put my feet lol
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Wow. That looks like some straight up climbing!
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The pictures make it look a little steeper than it really is, but it was definitely the hardest climbing I’ve ever done!
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Looks fun!
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Well done👍 I wouldn’t have fancied tackling that scramble myself
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Thank you! It was definitely tough!
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Beautiful! Beyond my skills (and fear of heights and breaking a hip!). Thanks for the virtual tour!
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Hey! I nominated you for my interview with an adventurer. Don’t feel obligated to participate, but if you do I would love to read your responses!
https://tiaonthetrail.ca/2021/04/08/outstanding-blogger-award-nomination-interview-with-an-adventurer/
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Oh wow, thanks Tia! I don’t typically do these types of posts but I’m so happy you thought of me! I look forward to reading your thoughts 🙂
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