Heil Valley Ranch

Trails

• Trail Map (1.7 MB)

Lichen Loop

• Easy/Moderate
• Uses: Hiking Only
• 1.3 miles

Picture Rock Trail

• Moderate
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses
• 5.2 miles

Ponderosa Loop

• Moderate
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses
• 2.6 miles

Wapiti Trail

• Moderate
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses
• 2.5 miles

Wild Turkey Trail

• Moderate
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses
• 3.0 miles

Picnic Areas

• Several picnic tables located near south trailhead
• Large 50-person group shelter located near south trailhead. Reserve the shelter.

Restrooms

• Located at both trailheads

Parking

• South trailhead can accommodate 56 cars and 4 horse trailers
• North trailhead (Picture Rock Trailhead) can accommodate 27 cars and 3 horse trailers

Keep in Mind

• Dogs are not allowed due to wildlife concerns
• Conservation areas are closed to the public to protect critical wildlife habitat
• Emergency access roads exist on the property; visitors are urged to stay on designated trails since these roads do not always lead to trailheads

Brochures

• Brochure (1 MB)
• Natures Detectives Mystery Guide (1.4 MB)
• Project Brochure & Map (161 KB)

Management Plan

• Management Plan (15 MB)

Maps and Graphs

• Trail Map (1.7 MB)
• Trail Elevation Graphs (77 KB)

Forest Thinning Project

The current forestry project continues to improve the health of this ponderosa pine forest by removing trees in the treatment area. The goal of this project is to restore habitat for native plants and animals, and reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfires, such as the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire.
Project Brochure & Map (161 KB)

Animals

With the highest species diversity of any Boulder County Parks and Open Space property, Heil Valley Ranch is an excellent place to view wildlife. Nearly 100 bird species were observed in one season, including golden eagles, prairie falcons, violet-green swallows, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and chickadees. Seventy percent of all mammal species found in Boulder County can be found here, including Abert’s squirrels, cottontail rabbits, prairie dogs, marmots, red and gray foxes, mule deer, bobcats, black bears and mountain lions.

Plants

The diversity of wildlife found here is partly due to the diversity of vegetation. Forests here are dominated by ponderosa pine, with interspersed grassy meadows. You’ll see New Mexico feathergrass and big and little bluestem grass in the grasslands.

From Mountainside To University

The Whitestone and Vickery Quarry Complex along the Picture Rock Trail operated from the 1890s to the 1960s. It was one of the more important quarry operations in the Lyons area. Lyons sandstone was mined there and can be seen in buildings on the University of Colorado campus.

Heil As Home

Four prehistoric sites (i.e. Native American sites used prior to contact with Anglo settlers) are on the property at Heil Valley Ranch. The first Anglo populations in the area were most likely beaver trappers exploring nearby rivers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. One of the first Anglo females to reside in Boulder County was Nancy Phinox Geer, who settled here with her husband Solomon Geer in 1888.

Historic Buildings

You may spot a few old stone buildings used by ranch hands, as well as a silo in a meadow up the Picture Rock trail.

Acquisition

The majority of Heil Valley Ranch was purchased in 1993 and 1994 as part of the North Foothills Open Space that includes Hall Ranch and surrounding conservation easement properties.