Adorned by the famous Flatirons, giant slabs of Pennsylvanian sandstone, the foothills west of Boulder, Colorado, offer some of the best hiking along the Front Range. Boulder Mountain Parks, just west and southwest of the city, is an excellent area to explore the varied habitats of the foothills zone.
Start at the west end of Baseline Road, in southwest Boulder, and follow the Gregory Canyon Trail as it climbs through a scenic cleft in the foothills. Leveling out atop the ridge and angling to the south, pick up the Ranger Trail, which continues southward and intersects the Green Mountain Trail. Turn left and ascend to the summit of Green Mountain, 8144 feet, which provides a scenic panorama of the Front Range. When heading back to Boulder, take the Saddle Rock Trail, winding among the massive Flatirons.
Ponderosa parklands, Douglas fir forest and foothill meadows are the primary habitats in the Park, attracting a wide variety of wildlife. Visitors in late April should see rock and canyon wrens, western and mountain bluebirds, Townsend's solitaires, Williamson's sapsuckers, violet-green swallows, Steller's jays, pygmy nuthatches and mountain chickadees; broad-tailed hummingbirds arrive by May. Raptors include golden eagles, Cooper's hawks, red-tailed hawks and the occasional northern saw-whet owl. Mule deer are abundant here, attracting mountain lions to the area; black bear, Abert's squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels and Colorado chipmunks also inhabit the Park.
