Hiking the Flatirons: Boulder, CO

Date Hiked: April 14, 2018

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Length: 3.5+ mi
Elevation Gain: 1,423 ft
Starting Elevation: 5720 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance from Denver: 35 min
Sarah’s Ranking: 5/10
Total Hike Time: 2 hrs
Parking: Small lot, summer fee
Best Time: Year Round, mornings
Features: Views, Rock Climbing
Additional Information: Alltrails

About the Area:

Boulder, CO may be best known for the University of Colorado: Boulder and Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, but to outdoor enthusiasts, it is widely known for its amazing hiking and rock climbing opportunities. Among these countless opportunities is the famous Flatiron rock formations.

The Flatirons are a series of large rock formations that are in the shape of clothing irons. Five of these formations line up in a row to create The Flatirons. Locals have numbered these irons 1-5 to assist with identifying locations within the park. The First Flatiron is the northernmost formation, with the fifth being the southernmost.

There are countless trails that encircle the Flatirons including the Flatirons Vista Trail, First and Second Flatiron Trail, and the Royal Arch Trail. To get a better picture of all the hiking opportunities, HERE is a map. There are also countless rock climbing opportunities. In fact, the rock climbing routes at the Flatirons are world famous!

Many of the trailheads for the Flatiron hikes are located at Chautauqua Park, a beautiful park with gorgeous views of the Flatirons. From here, you can follow any number of trails and custom build a hike that will cater to any hiking skill level.

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How to Get There:

The trailhead is located HERE. From downtown, make your way onto I-25 and head north. In about five miles, take exit 217-A and merge onto US-36W. Follow this for about 20 miles. Once in Boulder, take the Baseline Road exit towards CO-93 then turn left onto Baseline Road. Take this for about a mile. Once you hit the residential area and see the story-book like homes, you are in the right area. Take a left on Kinnikinic Road into the parking area of Chautauqua Park.

What to Bring:

For every hike, I am always sure to bring the ten hiking essentials and a good pair of sturdy hiking boots. The ten essentials are crucial to a comfortable and safe day of hiking and have saved me in a few extreme cases!

For this hike, in addition to the ten essentials, you should also consider bringing:

• Trekking Poles (the first and second flatiron trail is quite steep and rocky)
• If you’re interested in bouldering or light rock climbing, I would recommend:
  • The Flatiron rock  guide
  • Climbing Chalk
  • Climbing Crash Pad

Related: The 10 Hiking Essentials

Our Experience:

We arrived in Boulder a little after 8:30 am on a beautiful Saturday morning. Chautauqua Park was easy to find, but the parking lot was already full. After circling around the lot, we got lucky and snagged a spot just as someone was leaving. Score!

After grabbing our day gear, we headed out onto the trails. Near the parking lot is a sign with a map and overview of the park. I am glad we looked at it before we headed out because the various trailheads can be overwhelming and confusing to navigate.

We decided to combine the Flatiron Loop with the First and Second Flatiron trail, but the route we followed roughly follows the path that Alltrails has plotted on their First and Second Flatiron trail map.

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The first half mile portion of the trail is paved, wide, and well maintained. It is in a gorgeous open meadow and gently climbs until it reaches the forest line. Once we got off of the paved path, the climb became a bit harder and more difficult to follow.

Luckily, there are plenty of maps and signs at each trail intersection, so finding our way to the First and Second Flatiron trail was incredibly easy.

Once we reached the main trail that winds between the first and second flatirons, the grade steepened substantially. There are plenty of switchbacks to assist in the climb but many people were struggling. This is the number one reason this hike is rated “hard” on Alltrails.

Once ten o’clock rolled around, the trails began to quickly fill up. Many of the rock climbing locations were filled to the brim and we passed three separate groups of 40+ people in them. So if you’re planning an adventure in this area, be sure to hit the trails early or in the late afternoon to avoid the crowds! This was by far the most crowded hike we have done to date.

Once near the top, the trail became difficult to follow. I have the Alltrails app downloaded and had great service so I just pulled up the map to make sure we were heading in the right direction. I am glad we came prepared!

Related: The Ten Hiking Essentials

Once at the top, the rocks block the majority of the view, so we did some more rock climbing be sure and catch the stunning views this hike has to offer.

On our way back, we decided to head south on the flatirons loop trail to add an extra mile or so. We found a few great climbing spots so the extra effort was well worth it!

What’s Nearby?

After a hike at the Flatirons, there are plenty of great places to see and activities to do! If this is your first or only trip to Boulder, I highly recommend attending a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory! This is a free 45-minute tour that takes you through the process of how their teas are made, from start to finish, and gives you a unique opportunity to visit their famous Mint Room, Tea Shop, and Cafe.

Another must see in Boulder is the famous and historic Pearl Street Mall. This is a gorgeous and lively outdoor mall with countless stores, live entertainment, amazing restaurants, and much more. They often host free events and offer some fantastic activity and entertainment opportunities. If you do decide to visit Pearl Street Mall, be sure to check out one of their amazing restaurants, we love stopping here after long hikes to fuel back up!

Tips:

1. Arrive early to ensure a parking spot and to avoid the massive crowds in this area!
2. Bring some climbing gear, or be sure to pack some tennis shoes to take advantage of the amazing rock climbing opportunities.
3. When hiking the First and Second Flatiron Trail, remember that you might need to adventure off the trail or around some massive rocks to catch the view, but it is worth it!
4. Parking fees are only required during the summer months.
5. Pin this post to reference later!

Check out more great adventures in the Denver area!