Niwot Loop Trail and Dry Creek
Winding through the neighborhoods of Niwot, this easy
3.7-mile loop
meanders through pastures, housing communities, and prairie dog colonies
following historical irrigation ditches. Large cottonwood and willow
trees shade the trail heading north from the 79th Street parking lot.
The trail continues past farmlands and large
homes.
 At the benches, you can enjoy panoramic views of snow-capped mountains
including Longs Peak and Meeker. The path passes through the Somerset
Homeowners area and comes out on Longview Drive. Follow the road to
Niwot Road and head west to Left Hand Valley Grange Park. A playground,
picnic shelter, and softball field offer a place to rest, eat lunch, and
possibly watch a game.
The loop continues along Dry Creek. Don’t let the name fool you--there
is usually water in this creek! Birding opportunities abound along the
trail. Listen for the jackhammer-like call of the kingfisher. Magpies,
herons, and red-tailed hawks may be perched in the tree branches. Watch
for a flash of orange flying by--a flicker in retreat. Crossing Monarch
Road, the trail enters a prairie dog colony. Opening the gate will ensue
a warning call from the sentry prairie dog that you are passing through.
Prairie dogs dart into their burrows and peek out to see if the coast is
clear. Watch for raptors and coyotes looking for an easy meal!
Niwot Loop Trail is 3.7 miles long and is part of the larger
LoBo Regional Trail Plan that connects Longmont to Boulder. The trail is
mainly crusher fine (small gravel) with a few paved areas. The newest
trail addition connects the Niwot Loop to the Cottontail Trail via a
Highway 52 underpass. The trail is open to hikers, bikers, and
equestrians. (Please note, some
trails through Somerset Estates do not allow horses. Please respect
private property signs that may be posted by local Housing Associations
or individual property owners.) After a big snowfall, cross-country ski or snowshoe the
loop. Dogs must be leashed at all times. A small group shelter at Left Hand Grange Park can accommodate up to 20
people and is available for use on first-come, first-serve basis. The
only bathroom along the loop is the port-of-potty in the parking lot on
79th Street just north of Highway 52. There is no drinking water
available along the trail.
The loop can be accessed from many points in the Niwot area. However, if
you are driving to the loop, two parking lots are available. The first
is on 79th Street just north of Highway 52. The second is on Monarch
Road between 79th Street and the Diagonal Highway.
Niwot is located in eastern Boulder County in the Left Hand
Valley. The name Niwot comes from the
Arapaho Chief Niwot, which means left handed. The story goes that
Arapaho Chief Niwot uttered a curse on the white settlers arriving in
the area after 1858: "People seeing the beauty of this valley will
want to stay, and their staying will be the undoing of the beauty." Niwot was platted in
1875 shortly after the railroad was extended northeast from Boulder.
Niwot was
at that time primarily an agricultural community. Today, it is still semi-rural in character with many
active agricultural operations in existence.
Niwot is listed in the
Boulder County Comprehensive Plan as the Niwot, Left Hand, Boulder Creek
subregion. Old Town Niwot has been designated as a Boulder
County Historic Landmark, and the Niwot Cemetery is listed on the Colorado State Register
of Historic Properties (Colorado Historical Society 2006). Some of the
lands within Niwot are designated by the Boulder County Comprehensive
Plan to be
Agricultural Lands of National Significance.
Following passage of the Transportation Improvement Sales Tax in the
fall of 2001, a portion of sales tax funding was earmarked for regional
trail projects. The Boulder County Regional Trails Committee (RTC) was
formed to help prioritize future trail projects and a series of four
open houses (one in Niwot) was held to solicit public input for the
prioritization process. The RTC used public input and prioritization
criteria--transportation value, feasibility, equitability--to make a
recommendation on trail prioritization.
In April 2003, the Board of
County Commissioners approved a list of ten prioritized regional trail
projects. The Longmont-Boulder (LoBo) Trail was among the first tier
priorities, along with the Coal Creek/Rock Creek Trail, the Feeder
Canal, and the UP Rail Line. Trail alignments for the
Longmont-Boulder (LOBO) Regional Trail link through Niwot are still
in planning stages. The Board of County Commissioners' approval of the
Niwot
Trails Master Plan on July 12, 2006, is the first step in seeing the
building of the LoBo Trail and Niwot Community Trails become a reality. An underpass at Highway 52, which is part
of the LOBO trail system that runs through Niwot, was opened in July 2006.
This map shows the existing trails in the Niwot area as of June 2006 and
the proposed community trails for the Niwot Trail Master Plan:
Niwot Existing Trails Map.
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properties are environmentally sensitive, it is important for users to
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