Boulder Falls Closing Nov. 1

Boulder Falls to close for the season on Nov. 1

The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) Department will close the Boulder Falls Trail and the surrounding area for the winter season on Nov. 1. Boulder Falls, located in Boulder Canyon at 33100 State Highway 119, will be closed due to hazards brought on by winter weather.

“Our concern is for the safety of visitors to the site,” said Land and Visitor Services Division Manager Jim Reeder. “Winter and spring are the seasons during which the freeze and thaw tends to loosen rocks on the slopes above the trail.”

Snow and ice can also make the trail very dangerous to hikers in winter. OSMP will use times of clear weather this fall for maintenance on the man-made stone structures that help protect the trail from falling rocks. Some of the protective structures sustained damage last spring and will be rebuilt. OSMP is planning to do annual scaling of the drainage above the trail next April before the trail is opened.

The trail was originally closed in the spring of 2009 due to a rock fall that severely injured a visitor. Boulder Falls will reopen on May 1. The closing and opening dates coincide with the closure of the summit of Flagstaff Mountain.

For more information, visit osmp.org or call 303-441-3440.

sounds like the city is more concerned with frivilous lawsuits from people who should not be hiking/breathing/or taking in the grand winter scenery of our great region. Thats a dissapointment and total BS. Last time I looked, I was an adult and I could judge the conditions and consequences of my choices. If poeple want to hike in the area in winter so be it...total boulder mentality. Maybe they shoudl close the falls on hot days too just incase heat stroke or sunburn might be a problem.