Walker Ranch

Trails

• Trail Map (2.1 MB)

Meyers Homestead Trail

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

Walker Ranch Loop

• Difficult
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses*, Leashed Dogs
  *Equestrians are discouraged from using the eastern leg due to extremely steep staircase conditions
• 7.8 miles

Walker Ranch Link

• Easy
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses, Leashed Dogs
• 0.7 miles

Picnic Areas

• Several picnic tables located near each trailhead
• Large group shelter located at Meyers Homestead Trailhead. Reserve the shelter.

Restrooms

• Located at each trailhead

Parking

• Ethel Harrold parking lot can accommodate 18 cars
• Meyers Homestead Trailhead can accommodate 39 cars and 2 horse trailers
• Walker Ranch Loop parking lot can accommodate 28 cars

Fishing

• Fishing along South Boulder Creek

Keep in Mind

• Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and dog-walking (on leash) are allowed on all trails

Summer Heritage Evening

July 20, 2012 5 - 7 p.m.
Enjoy an evening at the homestead. Bring your family and a picnic supper (please bring a blanket if you plan to picnic – there are no tables at the homestead). Visit costumed volunteers as they demonstrate various chores associated with rural living in the late 1800s. Activities demonstrated include doing laundry the old-fashioned way, woodworking, meal preparation, blacksmithing and children's games.

Visitors are invited to participate in some chores and games. Dogs and bicycles are not permitted on the site.

Management Plan Update

Staff is currently developing management alternatives that will be presented to the public for review and comment this fall. Learn more...

Brochures and Field Guides

• Birds of Walker Ranch Checklist (70 KB)
• Brochure (1 MB)
• Natures Detectives Mystery Guide (1.1 MB)

Management Plan

• Management Plan (4 MB)

Maps and Graphs

• Trail Map (2.1 MB)
• Trail Elevation Graphs(88 KB)

Animals

Mountain lions, black bear, mule deer, elk, coyotes, yellow-bellied marmots, rock squirrels, Abert’s squirrels, pine squirrels, porcupines, and Nuttall’s cottontails have all been seen here.

Plants

You’ll see Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests, aspen groves, juniper stands, and beautiful meadows teeming with grasses and wildflowers.

Homesteading

Settler James Walker, from Missouri, moved to Boulder in 1869. He and his wife Phoebe filed a homestead claim for 160 acres in 1882. The next year, he moved his wife and young son into the newly built ranch house.

Expansive Ranching

Over the next 80 years, the Walker family amassed over 6,000 acres. When the property was sold in 1959, it was one of the largest cattle ranches in this region of Colorado.

Walker Ranch Homestead

The homestead consists of original buildings from the 1880s, except a newly reconstructed ranch house. The original ranch house burned to the ground in 1992 and has since been rebuilt using environmentally friendly techniques while remaining faithful to 1880s architecture, design, and materials. The homestead is closed to the public, but group tours may be scheduled by contacting Sheryl Kippen at 303-776-8848.

Wildfire

In 2000, the Walker Ranch/Eldorado Wildland Fire burned through 1,062 acres and lasted five days. Remnants of this fire can be seen today in the form of burned trees that are still standing.
Walker Ranch Fire