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Colorado · Mountain Biking
Boulder sits at the edge of the Front Range in a way that makes mountain biking unusually accessible — you can roll out of town and be on singletrack within minutes.
56 spotsUpdated weeklyFree to access
View on mapMountain Biking · 56 spots
Boulder sits at the edge of the Front Range in a way that makes mountain biking unusually accessible — you can roll out of town and be on singletrack within minutes. The 56 trails listed here range from wide, mellow paths like the Coalton Trail and High Plains Trail, which suit beginners or anyone looking for a no-stress spin, to harder efforts like Baughmans Gulley Single Track Trail and Bon Scott Trail that will test your technical skills and fitness. The foothills trails — Foothills North, Joder Ranch, and North Rim among them — tend to follow rolling terrain with views of the plains to the east and the Flatirons overhead. Trails like Doudy Draw and Greenbelt Plateau sit in open grassland and dry scrub, which means they drain fast after rain and often stay rideable when higher-elevation options are muddy. Start The Party and Canyon Rim offer a middle ground for riders who have outgrown the easy stuff but aren't ready to commit to the sustained climbing and loose rock of the harder routes. Most trails here are managed by Boulder County Parks and Open Space or the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks department, so access, seasonal closures, and e-bike rules vary by trail.
Late spring through early fall is the most reliable window, roughly May through October. Trails at lower elevations like Coalton Trail and High Plains Trail often open earlier in spring and stay rideable later into fall because they sit in open grassland that dries out quickly. Expect afternoon thunderstorms in July and August — most local riders start early and are off exposed trails by noon.
It depends on who manages the trail. Boulder City Open Space and Mountain Parks generally prohibits e-bikes on natural surface trails, while Boulder County Parks and Open Space allows Class 1 e-bikes on some trails. Check the specific trail's managing agency before you ride, because the rules are not uniform across the 56 trails listed here.
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Mountain biking
Boulder, Colorado
Left Hand Trail, Sage Trail, Meadowlark Trail, and the Community Ditch Trail are all rated easy and have relatively smooth surfaces with limited technical features. Doudy Draw Trail and the Overland Loop Trail are also good starting points and give you a feel for the open-space terrain without committing to anything sustained or exposed. If you're new to altitude, take the first ride easier than you think you need to — Boulder sits above 5,000 feet and the foothills trails climb from there.
Both are rated hard, which in Boulder's context typically means loose or rocky surfaces, steeper grades, and sections that require confident bike handling. These are not trails to push your limits on if you're still building technical skills. Bring more water than you think you need, especially in summer, and let someone know your plan since cell coverage can be patchy in the foothills.
Yes, some trails close during wet conditions to prevent erosion, and a few have seasonal wildlife closures in spring. Boulder City OSMP and Boulder County Parks both post current trail conditions and closures on their websites, and it's worth checking the morning of your ride after any rain. Riding muddy trails here can result in fines and causes lasting damage to the trail surface.