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Published: November 25th 2008
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Distance: 6.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Ah, the unpredictability of the Colorado Spring! After some warm but extremely windy days at the end of March, I had to wait until the middle of April for my next hiking opportunity. Thanks to the weather pattern that sat over the entire state for most of the spring, wind was an ever-present pest on most of my hikes. With the temperatures finally starting to warm up for good, my dad and I headed to Rabbit Mountain on the border between Boulder and Larimer County.
As I’ve mentioned before, Boulder County is one of the best places for open space parks within about an hour of Denver. In fact, Jefferson County is really the only other county that competes with Boulder for open space park acreage. Rabbit Mountain, which occupies the dry and sparsely-forested region in the northeast corner of the county, offers a couple of fairly easy trails and a nice view of the mountains to the west. The park space occupies a rise between the St. Vrain and Big Thompson valleys, which were carved out by their namesake creeks and rivers that originate up near Rocky Mountain National Park. Rabbit Mountain’s history
includes heavy use by Native Americans and the miners who chased them off the land. The area was eventually sold to Boulder County in the 1980’s and turned into an open space park. The park’s two main hiking/biking trails can be combined for an easy day hike that offers some great vistas.
From the parking lot, one primary trail climbs at a moderate incline along a series of switchbacks for a half mile to the intersection of the Little Thompson Overlook and Eagle Wind trails. We chose to take the 3 mile Little Thompson Overlook trail first. This trail begins with another moderate climb along a fire road. The road is covered in gravel and larger rocks, so watch your footing. At the top of the road, the trail levels off briefly before winding over a series of hills on the way to the overlook. The trail ends at the Little Thompson Overlook which occupies a flat area dominated by exposed rock and low scrub brush. Immediately to the north (on the other side of the Boulder County/Larimer County border) is a tilted mesa at the mouth of the Little Thompson Canyon. The canyon’s northern wall stretches from east
to west before tapering off into the plains to the east. The river itself is not actually visible from this vantage point.
After returning to the trail fork, hikers can either head back to the parking lot or continue on to the Eagle Wind Trail (a 4 mile lollipop loop). The trail climbs at an easy incline for a half mile from the fork before reaching the loop portion. We opted to take the southwest route along the loop. As the trail proceeds south and west, the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness will come into view to the west. Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker appear as two imposing pyramids towering over the rest of the northern Front Range. Look for an informative sign just off the trail that helps hikers identify the distant peaks. As the trail proceeds south, it passes through an area of relatively dense Ponderosa Pine before curving east to the loop’s apex. The higher portions of the loop provide even better views of the distant mountains and the plains to the east. The trail intermittently passes through pine forest again as it winds back to the north. The views
to the north offer a wider view of the Little Thompson Canyon before heading back to the parking lot.
Much of this hike is through exposed areas with little or no shade. With the exception of the wooded section along the Eagle Wind Trail, there is no real protection from the sun. I would personally recommend visiting Rabbit Mountain during the spring or fall when temperatures are mild. If you wish to visit the park in the summer, I would suggest getting a fairly early start to beat the heat.
THE BOTTM LINE: The reward of this hike is not the immediate surrounding landscape but the more distant geological features visible from the trails. Thanks to its convenient location, Rabbit Mountain provides some great views that aren’t available anywhere else in the vicinity. The hike should be easily completed within 3 hours by hikers of all ability levels.
Directions: From the Denver area, take I-25 north to the Boulder Turnpike (US 36). In Boulder, US 36 turns into 28th St. until switching back on the far side of town. Continue along US 36 to the town of Lyons. At the dead end just east of Lyons, turn
right onto Highway 66. Continue east along 66 for one mile and then turn right on N. 53rd St. Continue north for 2 miles to the Rabbit Mountain parking lot.
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