Betasso Preserve
I n 1975, Ernie Betasso's
773-acre ranch became the Parks and Open Space Department's first major
open-space acquisition. Ernie wanted others to enjoy his land as much as
he had and helped the department oversee Betasso Preserve until his
death in 1983.
Betasso Preserve has a multiuse trail, a
picnic
area and group shelter available for visitors
and is located west of Boulder.
Please note that changes have been instituted to
help mitigate trail user conflicts.
History
Betasso Preserve, located at the junction of Boulder and Fourmile
Canyons, was once adjacent to the old town of Orodell, built in the 1870s
when sawmill and mining operations sprang up. A general store, post office
and school served visitors. Five stage coaches passed through Orodell
daily, on their route between Boulder and Nederland. In 1883, most of
Orodell was destroyed by fire and in 1894, the sawmill and gold mill were
destroyed in a flood, never to be rebuilt.
In 1912, the Blanchard family homesteaded 160 acres which was later purchased
in 1915, by Steve Betasso, a hard-rock miner from Fourmile Canyon. Steve,
together with his sons, Dick and Ernie, expanded the ranch with their
profits from gold and tungsten mining. Parks and Open Space recently
restored the original Betasso
family homestead, which will be used to host interpretive programs.
Using the Betasso Ranch for their cattle operations, Dick and Ernie,
wintered cattle on the ranch, driving the herds to Mammoth Basin in the
summer.
Betasso Preserve consists of 773 acres of backcountry. The
3.2 mile, moderate to
difficult Canyon Loop Trail is an easier hike if started from
the east trailhead.
The multiuse trail is open to hikers, mountain
bikers and equestrians.
Dogs
are also allowed on this trail. Changes have been
instituted at Betasso Preserve to help mitigate trail user conflicts.
Please be aware of the following changes:
-
Mountain biking is prohibited on Wednesdays and
Saturdays on the Canyon Loop Trail.
-
Mountain bikers are required to travel one
direction on the Canyon Loop Trail. Please check the sign at the
trailhead because directional use will alternate monthly. Other trail
users are encouraged to travel in the opposite direction, but not
required.
-
Bummer's Rock Trail is closed to mountain biking.
-
The Betasso/Boulder Canyon Link is open for use.
From the top, access the link east of Bummer's Rock trailhead just
before the water treatment plant. From the bottom, access the link
along Boulder Canyon (Highway 119) just east of the tunnel. This link
is extremely steep with loose rocks on the surface, use at your own
risk.
-
Mountain bikers must ride on designated trails
only. Law enforcement officers strictly enforce these regulations.
Fines begin at $50.
A group shelter, which can
accommodate up to 50 people, is available for reservation. The picnic
area, situated in a pine forest, offers good views of the plains.
Betasso Preserve is located 6 miles west of Boulder off Sugarloaf Road.
Because all of our open space properties are environmentally sensitive,
it is important for users to know the rules
and regulations pertaining to our open space.
Betasso Preserve Map
Once the map is displayed, you can use the adobe toolbar to fit the map
to your window, pan, zoom in or out, search or print the map on your own
printer. The size of the original map and screen reduction are shown on
the lower left hand status bar.
The map is a 665 KB file and will require Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free from Adobe. Map may not appear
properly in your web browser, for best results, save map file to a directory on
your computer (right click and choose "Save Target as" in
Internet explorer or "Save Link as" in Netscape) and open using
Adobe Reader.
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