Mt. Sanitas from Boulderado Window. Photo Lenny Lensworth Frieling

Today’s sunset is pure Boldorado magic, captured by award-winning photographer Lenny Lensworth Frieling, one of Boulder’s most celebrated visual storytellers. From the historic Hotel Boulderado, Lenny snapped this fresh, glowing masterpiece — a sweeping canvas of deep oranges, fiery reds, and the unmistakable black-diamond silhouette of Mount Sanitas rising cleanly above the city.

The shot is everything we love about Boulder evenings: crisp air, a wide-open Front Range horizon, and that signature Sanitas profile that tells locals, you’re home.

Mount Sanitas Fun Facts

• Elevation: Mount Sanitas rises to 6,863 feet, standing around 900 vertical feet above downtown Boulder.
• Location: The peak sits just northwest of central Boulder, only minutes from Pearl Street and clearly visible from the upper floors of Hotel Boulderado, where this photo was taken.
• Local Legend: Sanitas is Boulder’s unofficial fitness proving ground — thousands of locals climb it weekly for sunrise training runs, sunset power hikes, and quick lunchtime summit missions.
• Trail Variety: You’ve got the steeper Mount Sanitas Trail, the mellow Sanitas Valley Trail, and the rolling East Ridge route — making it one of Boulder’s most accessible mountains for all skill levels.
• Name Origin: “Sanitas” comes from the Latin word for “health.” No wonder Boulderites flock to it — the mountain literally translates to wellness.

Why This Photo Hits So Hard

Lenny’s image captures that perfect Boulderado vantage — where the Flatirons fade to the southwest, downtown softens at twilight, and Mount Sanitas takes center stage as the city’s evening guardian. The glow behind the ridge almost looks painted on, the kind of moment that lasts only seconds but stays in your memory for years.

It’s Boulder at its best — light, color, mountains, and soul.

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