Welcome to Boulder, new Buffs. The Flatirons are waiting, the trails are calling, and campus is about to hit full volume. For many incoming freshmen, college social life can seem automatically connected to drinking and partying. It doesn’t have to be. At the University of Colorado Boulder, students looking for another path have something valuable […]

You’ve made it. The boxes are mostly unpacked. The mini-fridge is humming. Your parents have left—or they’re about to. Somewhere between the last trip to the car and your first night in a residence hall, it hits you: This is real. You’re a Buff now. And if your stomach is doing that strange little dance […]

Welcome back, Buffs. Move-in is happening, Boulder is filling up again, and CU Boulder classes begin Thursday, August 20. Before long, campus will be buzzing, lunch lines will be growing and dining dollars may start disappearing faster than expected. But eating well between classes does not have to mean spending a fortune or settling for […]

  Outdoor Picture of the Day: Boulder Reservoir Lights Up North Boulder Today’s Outdoor Picture of the Day captures one of Boulder’s most recognizable bodies of water: Boulder Reservoir, glowing beneath a wide Colorado sky with the foothills and Flatirons rising in the distance. Locals simply call it “the Rez.” Located along Boulder’s northern edge, […]

Boulder Creek is open for tubing, and during Boulder’s relentless summer heat, the cold current running through the center of town feels better than ever. As of August 12, 2026, Boulder County reports that there are no current restrictions on tubing or single-chamber flotation devices. The USGS gauge at North 75th Street registered a flow […]

It’s one of Colorado’s great college debates. CU Boulder or Colorado State? As students arrive for another academic year and Colorado families look ahead to college decisions, the Buffs-versus-Rams comparison is back. Both are respected public universities with strong academics, loyal alumni and beautiful campuses. But in 2026, the numbers — combined with the experience […]

In this Faces of Boulder throwback edition, a happy couple stands side by side at the edge of Varsity Lake on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Their relaxed smiles capture the kind of easy joy that needs no explanation. Taken roughly a decade ago, the photograph frames the couple against the pond’s calm surface. […]

There is something about a clear summer day in Eldorado Canyon that stops you in your tracks. Golden sandstone walls rise dramatically above South Boulder Creek as the water catches the sunlight, tumbles over rocks, and moves through willows along the canyon floor. It is pure Front Range summer—water, stone, and sky coming together in […]

Boulder is famous for the Flatirons, its extensive trail system, and an unmistakably independent spirit. Less widely recognized is the city’s surprisingly influential literary history. Major American writers have lived here, taught here, or transformed Boulder into a setting for memorable fiction and nonfiction. The result is a city that has quietly punched above its […]

Fall in Boulder is beautiful. Fall in the mountains just west of town can feel almost unreal. For a few brief weeks, the hillsides turn brilliant gold, the Continental Divide rises above the changing forest, and the cooler air makes every hike feel more invigorating. Best of all, you do not need to cross Colorado […]