Do you enjoy history and hiking? If so, Boulder County Parks and Open Space trails are perfect for you. By hiking the trails, you can step back in time and discover the history of Boulder County.
Mining
If you are interested in mining, you might want to hike Caribou Ranch or Mud Lake just north of the town of Nederland. The Caribou Ranch trail system is 4.5 miles long and wanders by the Blue Bird Mine Complex. The complex includes a bunkhouse, the mining company house, mine shafts and tracks. With the discovery of silver in the Caribou area in 1869, heavy prospecting occurred in the area. Hiking the trails at Mud Lake, you will discover glory holes which are pits left when the miners explored the area. Gold and silver was not discovered at Mud Lake but in the early 20th century, the tungsten mining boom began. The area produced most of the tungsten ore in the world during World War I.
Cattle Ranching
If cattle ranching is your love, you are in luck because Boulder County Parks and Open Space has lots of old cattle ranches. At Hall Ranch, when you hike the Nelson Loop trail you will be in the historic Antelope Park which was homesteaded by Richard Clark in 1890 and bought by the Nelson family in 1922. Today you can hike by the ranch house, garden, and silo. At Bald Mountain Scenic Area, cattle grazing occurred on the open meadows. The trail is a one-mile loop that begins where a livestock loading corral and chute still stand. Walker Ranch on Flagstaff Mountain was one of the largest cattle ranches in this area. Hiking the 7.8 mile Walker Ranch Loop trail, in the distance you can see the historic homestead including the log house, root cellar, granary, smokehouse, springhouse, chicken and turkey houses, barn and corrals. Also along the trail, you will see remnants of barns and sheds. Hiking the 2.6 miles Meyers Homestead Trail, you will pass the restored barn of the Meyers family and discover that timber was very valuable to the homesteaders. Heil Valley Ranch has a long history of cattle ranching and many trails that pass by remnants of cabins. Betasso Preserve also has a ranching history. In 1912 the Blanchard family homesteaded 160 acres. In 1915 Steve Betasso purchased this ranch for their cattle operation. When you hike the Blanchard Trail (it has a long staircase) you will pass the restored cabin and barn. Along the 3.3 mile Canyon Loop trail you will see the Ronald McDonald cabin. McDonald homesteaded this land and built the cabin in 1919. He was a plum grower and you can still see some of the remaining plum trees in the valley below the cabin.
Farming
Interested in looking at old farm equipment? At Betasso Preserve below the kiosk, you will discover a mower and binder. On the Picture Rock Trail, as you reach the 3-mile marker, you will discover a horse drawn seed planter. And if you are not a hiker, but like antique farm machinery, be sure to visit our Agricultural Heritage Center off highway 66 in North Longmont!
Sandstone Quarries
Heil Valley Ranch is a terrific place to hike if you are fascinated with quarries. Hike the 2.5 mile Wapiti Trail that connects to the 2.6 miles Ponderosa Loop trail, and you will have a fantastic view of the sandstone quarries. Do you want to step back in time? Hike the Picture Rock Trail off Old St. Vrain Road near Lyons. You will reach the Whitestone and Vickery quarry and ranching complex at the 3-mile marker on the trail. Go ahead and wander the quarry itself. You’ll see holes from the drills owned by Jess and Ben Vickery, two brothers who leased the quarry from the Heil family in the 1950s and 60s. Look at the old truck just south of the quarry, built with a wooden firewall between the engine and the driver, and think how comfortable that wooden seat felt on the dirt roads. Discover the old car near the main quarry bed and the old grain silo.
Boulder County Parks and Open Space trails weave through a lot of local history, so go out and explore on your own this summer!