You can’t go to Boulder and not hike in the mountains. It’s like visiting Hawaii and not going to the beach. Yes, our top priority while visiting was connecting with Eric’s family–but my second priority was definitely going into the mountains and this time, bringing our older kids. In 2022, they were 1&2 years old. So when Eric and I went for a hike with a friend, they stayed at home with the grandparents!
We decided to take our now-4 & 6-year olds hiking at Artist Point (a 20ish minute drive from home base) on a weekday to avoid the heavy weekend traffic. Naturally, we brought the nursing baby too, and also Eric’s dad joined us. Our toddler stayed at home with Grandma to soak up all the one-on-one attention 😀
Hiking at Artist Point
The drive isn’t too bad as far as mountain roads go, especially on weekdays when the traffic is low. We were surprised to meet several families and bikers at the top of the mountain, but I guess we weren’t the only ones who wanted a peaceful hike! There was still plenty of parking and picnic table space to enjoy a snack.
I always forget how quiet it is up in the mountains. It’s like nowhere in the Twin Cities with the rustling trees, bugs/critters, road and highway noise. It’s truly a balm for the soul.
After trekking out to Artist Point to take some pictures, we headed off on Boy Scout Trail, which is a short (under a mile) and relatively easy hike with several gorgeous lookout points. The trail is quite steep in some places and I found myself wishing that my kids’ shoes had better tread. They needed a hand up or down in a few places, as their regular sneakers were slipping and sliding on the dry trail.
My second born/budding photographer enjoyed all of the interesting plants near the trail that we don’t have back in Minnesota, including lots of wildflowers and cacti!
There aren’t many steep drop-offs on this trail, perfect for hiking with kids. There are also plenty of (not dangerous) rocky places to climb around on, just to keep things interesting!
All too soon, our hike was over, snacks eaten and we were headed home to relieve Eric’s mom of the tornado toddler. Next time we’re in Boulder, we will definitely be doing more hiking. The kids are still talking about the mountains and it was my favorite outing of our trip.
Details
Location: Boy Scout Trail in Boulder (webpage with more information)
Important to know: It’s free to hike, but you can’t bring your dog–sorry, fur parents!
But tell me, what kind of vacation is your favorite? Beach, mountains, woods, cities? I’m an outdoorsy girl through and through–our honeymoon in the Kananaskis was everything I wanted in a vacation–but I also adore the architecture in old European cities. My favorite so far has probably been Torino, Italy.
xx Claire