Picnic Shelters

Many Boulder County parks offer a wonderful setting to enjoy a picnic. First-come-first-serve picnic tables are located at most Boulder County park trailheads, and some shelters (with tables and grills) may be reserved in advance for a fee. Please note, drinking water is not available at these parks. Please bring your own water.

To see if the shelter you are interested in is available, go to the Reservation Calendar.

To reserve one of the four reservable shelters, use the Shelter Reservation Form.

All groups larger than 25 people or groups that exceed the maximum listed capacity for a shelter require a Group/Special Use Reservation.  The Group/Special Use Reservation is different than the Shelter Reservation Form.  To apply for a Group/Special Use Reservation please call (303) 678-6222 or email swilliams@bouldercounty.org.

Reservable Shelters
To reserve one of the four shelters listed below, use the Reservation Form. Shelters may be reserved any time between sunrise and sunset year round. See the directions to reservable shelters below, or use the interactive park locator map.
Shelter	Fee	Deposit1	Capacity
Beech	$25	$25	1-50
	$50	$50	50-75
	$75	$75	75-100
Betasso	$25	$25	50
Rabbit Mountain2	$25	$25	30
Walker Ranch at Meyers Gulch	$25	$25	50
1.  A deposit is required when the shelter is reserved and will be returned if the shelter is left in good, clean condition. 2. Please note, the Rabbit Mountain shelter can only be reserved between July and April.
Shelter Reservation Form
Fairgrounds Shelter
To reserve the large group shelter at the Fairgrounds (in Longmont), call Rebecca Harp at (303) 678-6235. See the Fairgrounds Policy Manual for fees and information on leasing Fairgrounds facilities.
			Capacity
Fairgrounds Park			100+
Non-Reservable Shelters
The following group shelters are available on a first-come-first-serve basis:
			Capacity
Coal Creek Trail			20
Hall Ranch			50
Heil Valley Ranch			50
Lagerman Reservoir			50
Lefthand Valley Grange			50
Pella Crossing			25
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm			25
Walden Ponds			50
Walden Ponds - Wally Toevs			10

Directions to Reservable Shelter Sites

Walker Ranch at Meyers Gulch Trail
Approximately 7.5 miles up Flagstaff Road from Boulder

Beech Open Space (managed by City of Boulder)
From the point where Broadway merges into Highway 36 (aka 28th Street), travel 2.5 miles north on Highway 36 (toward Lyons & Estes Park), veering east (right) at the Neva Road exit. Immediately look for the entrance and padlocked gate on the right. Refer to your contract for the padlock code.

Betasso Preserve
Boulder Canyon (Hwy 119) west to Sugarloaf Rd., turn right on Betasso Drive and follow the signs to the parking area.

Caribou Open Space
Boulder Canyon (Hwy 119) west to Nederland. Enter the roundabout circle and take the 2nd right labeled “North bound Highway 72” (also called the Peak to Peak Highway). Travel roughly 1-2 miles to County Road 126, which is at the bottom of one of the hills. Turn left onto County Road 126 and use posted signs to find different parking lots.

Rabbit Mountain Open Space
NE of Lyons on North 55th Street. Turn north on N. 53rd Street off Highway 66 (between Lyons and Longmont). The road dead ends at the shelter and parking lot.

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