You can find the Green Mountain West Trail up the winding roads of the Boulder County Open Space. This 2.7 mile out-and-back trail gains 627 feet and offers stunning mountain vistas and a vantage point of Boulder below. If the weather is good, get there early or late to find parking on the gravel side of the road.

Credit: Bobby Brinkhaus from AllTrails

Our ratings:

Crowd: 3.5/5. This is a moderately popular trail. Depending on the weather and time of day, you’ll be sharing this trail with a decent group of people. The hike itself typically isn’t very busy, but once you reach the summit you’ll be jockeying for space with most of the other hikers taking in the views. Dogs are welcome on this trail, but many will be off-leash, so keep that in mind for anxious or aggressive pups. Don’t forget to bring water for yourself and your companions!

Credit: Ron Pringle from AllTrails

Views: 4/5. With a sprawling view of Denver/Boulder to the East and beautiful snow-capped mountains to the West, this lovely hike won’t disappoint. Breathe in the fresh pine forest scents, snap a selfie by the enormous Cairn at the top, identify distant peaks with the handy installation from the CU Hiking Club, and gaze on the majesty of the surrounding Colorado mountains.

Credit: Ron Pringle from AllTrails

Difficulty: 3/5. The first mile of the trek is a nice easy stroll through the woods with rocky and occasionally uneven terrain, so wear your good boots. In the summer it’s relatively shaded, which is a nice change from many other hikes in the area, but that can cause icy patches in the winter. The last half-mile or so climbs sharply, and you’ll be doing some scrambling up the rocky summit. This is a moderate trail with 627 feet of elevation gain, so it’s not ideal for young children or people with physical disabilities or impairments.

Credit: Janae Ver Helst from AllTrails

Overall: 4/5. This is an awesome trail for casual and hardcore hikers alike. It’s dog-friendly, only moderately busy, and offers beautiful views. It’s close to Boulder—only about 15 minutes up into the Boulder County Open Space—and is just the right length and challenge to work up a sweat. We highly recommend this lovely jaunt through the woods!

Bergen Adair

Bergen is an animal lover, arts and crafts dabbler, and board game enthusiast.In her free time she likes to read, and she runs a horror review blog. She has lived in Colorado all her life, except for a year she spent studying abroad in Wales: she has been to 15 countries and three continents and has ambitions to make it to many more. People come from all over to go camping and hiking in the Boulder area, and she gets to do it every weekend! She looks forward to writing about one of her favorite topics.