Boulder, Colorado, is the place to be if you’re seeking exceptional scenery, mouthwatering food, fun drinks, shopping, and several outdoor options.
When planning getaways with my Californian friend, Amy, finding an easily-accessible midpoint between our time zones can often feel daunting. Thankfully, with Denver’s many non-stop flights , we have often frequented the Mile High City.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
This year we wanted to try something different. We set our sights on Boulder, which is reachable in less than an hour from the airport. Boulder offers a more intimate experience — it may sometimes be referred to as a hippie college town, which may be accurate. However, we found it to be a charming town full of energy, great food, beautiful shops, and remarkably well-maintained and organized hikes.
On our first afternoon in Boulder, we sat along Pearl Street, sipping an Affogato and listening to a local artist strum some songs. Pearl Street is the central hub of the historic downtown area, with a few other blocks filled with live music, historical tours, and unique shops.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Amy and I roamed around Pearl Street quite a bit throughout our three-day trip, and the architecture stood out the most. The housing around downtown Boulder is like eye candy. Even the art deco courthouse, built in 1933, was full of activity on a late-April weekend. Families were lunching on the grounds, with several vendors peddling their unique wares.
After living in California in our 20s and 30s, Amy and I continued enjoying hiking, so Boulder checked all of our boxes for a long weekend with plenty of outdoor adventures. The city boasts about 45,000 acres of protected, unspoiled land with access to over 300 miles of bike trails.
Accessibility is a key feature of Boulder’s attractions. There are 30 trails suitable for people using mobility aids — including wheelchairs, walkers and scooters. There are also programs like experiential wheelchair hikes and adaptive bike rides that make Denver’s landscape an experience for all.
Amy and I chose to rent a car for our three-day weekend, but we could have gotten by without it. Boulder visitors can take a shuttle from the airport, book a place near the central town, and walk to many attractions. We booked the car, hoping to visit Estes Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, about an hour northwest of Boulder. But with plenty to do even closer to our weekend home, we didn’t make it there on this trip.
In retrospect, we could have used shuttles that run to all the major trailheads, including Estes Park. They vary depending on the season and day of the week, so I recommend researching this no-cost travel option when planning your Boulder adventures.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
As an avid hiker who has navigated several unmarked trails over the years, I appreciated how organized the courses were. The City of Boulder’s interactive trail map offers information about hikes, including length and difficulty. When coming from a sea-level town, remember the elevation will wind you quickly. I load up on water as soon as I get into a town with a higher elevation than my body is used to, which seems to keep altitude sickness at bay.
We started at Chautauqua Park, about a five-minute drive from town, and were considering hiking the Chautauqua Loop when a few fellow hikers encouraged us to go for a more rigorous route. After grabbing a map from the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage, we decided to go for it. The jagged rocks in this area are called the Flatirons, so we decided to hike past the First and Second Flatirons and continued looping around to see the Rocky Mountains on the other side. Their recommendation did not disappoint. The Flatirons are an iconic symbol of Boulder that you will see displayed on various souvenirs. Pioneer women helped to name these rocks, saying they thought they looked like flat metal irons used to iron clothes.
The most tedious part was scrambling up the boulder field, navigating several different switchbacks. Coming back down over rocks was even more of a challenge, so we often stopped to sip water, catch our breath and, most importantly, take photos of the fantastic scenery. We stopped so frequently for pictures that we were nearly late for our spa appointments at St. Julien.
If a massage or facial is in your travel budget, the St. Julien experience is highly recommended. It was complete with robes, cucumbers in your water, and macaroons to nibble on while you take a break between the steam room, pool, or sauna. The experience was much needed after our exhausting, yet rewarding, hiking adventure.
By our final night in town, there were still so many different restaurants and bars that we still needed to check out, so we decided to visit a few and just get a drink and appetizer at each place. The advantage of being a party of two is that we could snag seats at the bar, or have a very short wait for a table.
Rosetta Hall is a must-see. It consists of eight restaurants of varying specialties, and two bars ― one on the rooftop with mountain views, and one in the main hall. We had a delicious craft cocktail and enjoyed sitting in the stylish, well-decorated space. At Japango, we had excellent sushi and some fun and fancy drinks.
On the walk back to our hotel, the last stop was a speakeasy, License No. 1., in the basement of Hotel Boulderado and a block away from Pearl Street Mall. The hotel opened in 1909 in the early era of prohibition. Sixty years later, the bar was issued one of the first legal licenses to serve hard liquor in a restaurant, hence the name.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Before heading to the airport , we took a drive up to Boulder Falls per the recommendation of a local store clerk. We didn’t have time to hike, but this was worth the 15-minute drive west of downtown. The falls were a pleasant surprise, being so close to the road.
I find that the sign of a great trip is feeling like you want to return. Amy and I parted ways already thinking ahead to our adventures saved for next time, which will include renting bikes!
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