Trail News - The New Vesper Trail now open

Vesper Trail

The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) announced this week that the new Vesper Trail, north of the Heatherwood subdivision, is now open to the public after a mating pair of burrowing owls successfully raised eight new owlets. Congratulations to the new parents who are now facing empty nest syndrome!

OSMP thanked members of the public for their cooperation in staying off the brand new trail that was built this past spring, only to be closed to allow the federally protected and single pair of burrowing owls that inhabit the City-managed open space to successfully breed this year.

The new Vesper Trail is the direct result of a cooperative community effort that generated the Gunbarrel Integrated Plan, whose goal is to improve visitor experience while protecting area wildlife and restoring areas that have been damaged by usage as undesignated trails.

The public is encouraged to stay on designated trails and to honor all seasonal wildlife closures.

One day trail closure

Wonderland Lake Trailhead is closed Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Boulder Canyon Trail

A large portion of the Boulder Canyon Trail is now closed Monday-Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for repairs until November 4, 2024. The Boulder Canyon Trail is a 2.6 mile trail that follows along Boulder Creek. The trail connects with the Boulder Creek Path into Boulder. Details and map can be found on the OSMP website here.

Culvert construction on 95th Street

The East Boulder White Rocks Trailhead continues to be closed to all vehicles now through the end of the year as part of the culvert construction project on 95th Street between Valmont Road and Lookout Road.

The Boulder Public Works Office states:

"The final steps of this project are to install a large concrete culvert system north of Boulder Creek that will help prevent floodwater from overtopping and closing 95th during large storm events, which has happened multiple times in the past.

Construction of the culvert will require a full roadway closure of 95th Street, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, between Valmont and Lookout roads through the end of the year, weather permitting. Residential access will be maintained, but residents will need to enter from the south (Valmont) or north (Lookout) depending on the location of their property. View a map of the construction/road closure zone.

The first phase of this project involved reconstruction of 95th Street from Lookout Road to just north of the new culvert location. This included the addition of four- to five-foot shoulders, new guardrail, drainage improvements, and significant earthwork to lower the grade of the road to improve sight distance and reduce vehicle noise. Culvert work could not be completed at the same time as road reconstruction due to nesting birds and seasonal water levels in the culvert construction area."

For questions the public may have including the timing of this work alongside concurrent closures at 63rd Street, CO 119, IBM Street, Jay Road and more visit: http://www.BoCo.org/north-95th-street.

Questions can be directed to Andrew Barth, Public Works Communications, at abarth@bouldercounty.gov or call 303-441-1032.