Hikes and Events Program Calendar
We host several programs every month. You can enjoy hikes, indoor programs, special events, seniors hikes and kids
programs among others. We also have several cultural history events each
year and museums to explore.
Just for kids!
Join the
Nature Detectives Club - a
fun way to explore your county parks.
For all of our programs: We welcome all ages unless otherwise
noted. Please note that we do not allow pets at our programs.
Birds of Prey Slide Show
Tuesday, January 5; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce Street, Louisville
Learn how to recognize
birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in
the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how
to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field
marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior,
and ecology of these magnificent birds.
Birds of Prey Driving Tour
Saturday, January 9; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting
location will be provided to registered participants.
Join
Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of
Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We
will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning
about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and
identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars,
spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children
10 years old and up are welcome.
Register by calling
303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled
Saturday tour.
Nature of Snow
Sunday, January 10; 10:00am to Noon
Mud Lake Open Space; drive north approximately 2 miles on
Highway 72 from the Nederland traffic circle to County Road 126
(just past mile marker 34), then west on 126 about ¼ mile, turn
left and follow signs to parking lot and trailhead.
Snow is an amazing substance! It changes form, it’s sculpted
by the wind into beautiful shapes, it insulates, it fractures
into deadly avalanches, and also makes winter survival possible
for many plants and animals. Join naturalist Larry Colbenson on
a winter hike to explore the many properties of snow, and to
examine the snowpack and learn how some plants and animals have
adapted to life in the cold. Bring drinking water, and clothing
and boots suitable for cold and windy weather. Ski or hiking
poles are also recommended due to icy trail conditions.
Everybody should be prepared to hike about two miles in snow,
above 8,000 feet in elevation. All ages are welcome.
A Kid’s View of Raptors
Wednesday, January 13;
4:30pm to 6:00pm
Lafayette Public Library, 775 west Baseline Road, Lafayette
Learn how to recognize
birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in
the winter skies above Boulder County. During the slide presentation
you’ll see some of these awesome birds up close and learn about
where they live and what they eat. You will also get to see how your
“wingspan” measures up against a hawk or eagle. This program is for
families with elementary-age children.
Signs of Life – Wildlife in
Winter Hike
Saturday, January 16;
10:00am to noon
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road
126; meet at parking lot kiosk
Join volunteer
naturalists for a hike in the high country to learn about the many
ways that wildlife survives winter in the Rocky Mountains. We’ll
talk about hibernation, dormancy, migration, and various strategies
for animals that are active all winter long. We will also look for
signs of wildlife activity, including tracks, scat, and browse marks
on trees. Bring drinking water, and clothing and boots suitable for
a moderate 2-mile hike in snowy, cold and windy weather.
Birds of Prey Driving Tour
Saturday, January 23; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.
Join
Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of
Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We
will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning
about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and
identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars,
spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children
10 years old and up are welcome.
Register by calling
303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled
Saturday tour.
Nature Hike for Seniors
January 28, Pella Crossing Open
Space; 10:00am to noon.
The last Thursday of every month
Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors.
Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and
current resource management projects.
For more information and
directions, please call
303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large
group, so we have enough naturalists at the
program.
Winter at the Walker Ranch
Homestead
Sunday, January 31; 1:00pm to
3:00pm
Walker Ranch Homestead; 7701 Flagstaff Mountain Road, approximately
7.5 miles west of Boulder on Flagstaff Road, on the left just past
Pika Road
How did early settlers
prepare for and survive the harsh winters of Colorado? What did they
do when they were snowed in for weeks at a time? What were their
evenings like without radio or television? These questions and more
will be answered as you explore the Walker Ranch homestead in
winter.
In addition to a tour of
the ranch, you can see working demonstrations in the blacksmith shop
and the log house will be filled with wonderful smells of food being
prepared on the woodstove.
Be prepared for cold, windy weather, and to walk in snow. For more
information, call 303-776-8848 or send e-mail to
tmcmichen@bouldercounty.org.
No dogs, please.
Birds of Prey Slide Show
Thursday, February 4; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa
Drive, Boulder
Learn how to recognize
birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in
the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how
to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field
marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior,
and ecology of these magnificent birds.
Birds of Prey Driving Tour
Saturday, February 6; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.
Join
Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of
Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We
will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning
about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and
identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars,
spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children
10 years old and up are welcome.
Register by calling
303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled
Saturday tour.
Prairie Winter Hike
Sunday, February 7;
1:00pm to 3:00pm
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm; North of Broomfield at
the junction of South 104th St and Dillon Road; meet at the Stearns
Lake Trailhead
Learn how grassland and
wetland wildlife respond and adapt to winter on the prairie along
the Colorado Front Range. Volunteer naturalists will lead this easy
walk to explore and learn about the different winter strategies
employed by wildlife that migrate through or are resident to the
prairie ecosystems of Boulder County.
Track Tales - Snowshoe Hike
Saturday, February 13; 10:00am to
12:30pm
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road
126; meet at parking lot kiosk
Winter is the perfect time to learn
about the story left behind by wildlife. Join Park Interpreter
Michael Bauer and Volunteer Naturalist Susan Jones for a snowshoe
hike to learn about predator-prey ecology and how to identify tracks
and other clues left by winter wildlife. Be prepared for a
moderately strenuous 2-mile hike above 8,000 feet, in cold and windy
weather. Bring a winter hat, gloves/mittens, wind protection, plenty
of warm layers, gaiters, snowshoes, water, lunch or snack,
binoculars, and writing materials. Ski or hiking poles are also
recommended due to icy trail conditions.
Birds of Prey Driving Tour
Saturday, February 20; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting
location will be provided to registered participants.
Join
Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of
Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We
will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning
about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and
identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars,
spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children
10 years old and up are welcome.
Register by calling
303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled
Saturday tour.
Story in the Rocks - The
Geologic History of Boulder County
Wednesday, February 24;
7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa
Drive, Boulder
The geologic history of
Boulder County goes back over 1.7
billion years. Ever wonder where the rocks came from, how they
formed, what the earth was like back then, or why the ancestral and
present-day Rockies formed? Rocks contain a record of earth history
that can be read like the pages in a history book. Join geologist
and volunteer naturalist Sue Hirschfeld for this PowerPoint program
and learn how to read the story in the rocks and interpret the
landscape that has developed in Boulder County over the last two
billion years.
Nature Hike for Seniors
February 25, 10:00am to noon
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm (meet at Stearns Lake
parking lot on S. 104th Street)
The last Thursday of every month
Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors.
Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and
current resource management projects.
For more information and
directions, please call
303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large
group, so we have enough naturalists at the
program.
Trickster Tales
Saturday, February 27;
1:00pm to 3:00pm
Rabbit Mountain Open Space; NE of Lyons on north 55th Street; meet
at group picnic shelter
Coyotes live throughout
most of North America, and coyote tales are found in many native
cultures. Sometimes coyote has the power of creation, other times he
battles supernatural enemies, and sometimes he’s a trickster,
outsmarting people and animals alike. Join volunteer naturalists for
a moderate 2-mile hike at Rabbit Mountain Open Space to learn more
about this clever, adaptable character. Dress for the weather and
bring your sense of humor.
- January 28 - Pella Crossing Open Space
- February 25 - Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek
Farm
(meet at Stearns Lake parking lot on S. 104th Street)
Every month, Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for
seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and
current resource management projects.
For more information and directions, please call 303-678-6214.
Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we
have enough naturalists at the program.
Programs begin at 10:00am and end at noon.
For more information about these events, programming for
educators or to arrange a volunteer-led program for your group, contact Larry Colbenson at
303-678-6214.
You can also find additional information in our
brochure, Nature
Hikes and Indoor Programs.
Our hikes and events are always listed in our
quarterly newsletter, Images.
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