The trail is served by three trailheads. In the north, a dirt lot on 95th St 1.4 miles north of Valmont Rd provides parking for several vehicles. 0.6 miles west of 95th on Valmont, another trailhead allows easy access to the Teller Farm Open Space. (This is named for Henry Teller, who founded the Colorado Central Railroad, was one of Colorado's two first senators, and served as the Secretary of the Interior for President Chester A. Arthur.) The chief trailhead, with restrooms, lies at the end of a short access road off Arapahoe Rd, 2.2 miles east of 75th St. We'll log mileage from there.
The dirt-and-gravel trail runs east, heading for Teller Lake. You can reach the lake (a wildlife preserve) by continuing straight, but the East Boulder Trail veers left to drop behind/below the reservoir. It cruises on a very slight downhill, passing through gates (remember to close them behind you) as it crosses private property. After a short distance with houses to the east, it enters a larger open-space: the Teller Farm area. Local farmers and ranchers lease this land from the city, preserving the area's rich agricultural heritage. (This helps maintain Boulder's water rights, preserves natural values, and (best of all?) restricts development.
Once you hit the central trailhead, you have an option. You can turn left on Valmont, or you can cross the parking lot to find a minor connector heading west. In either case, the main trail picks up again on the north side of Valmont (2.3), heading into the White Rocks leg. (NOTE that this section is marked as a ‘no-dogs' area.)
The trail starts out crossing private land, with the owner allowing access -- another example of what we can accomplish with public/private partnerships. There are interpretive signs along the trail, educating you as to what you're seeing. (For instance, did you know that ponds have lentic, or still, waters, while streams have lotic, or moving, waters? Remember that for your appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire!)
The trail passes by an award-winning pond. Flatirons Gravel won the award (from the Wildlife Society and the National Sand & Gravel Assn) for their reclamation efforts here. By mining the gravel in only one section each winter, and reclaiming it the following spring, they managed to mitigate erosion, and also kept weeds from invading and taking over. Good job!
As you cross Boulder Creek, you can see the White Rock Cliffs to the west. A remnant of the ancient seas that covered this land, these were used by Native Americans as a buffalo jump. Soon, though, your attention is diverted by the fact that the trail is rising (3.4). Now it rises steeply across the ridge, then turns (3.7) to climb more slowly and steadily.
The scenery continues to help the distance drop off. When you can't see the foothills, massive homes attract your attention. Even when the homes fade from sight, the tight turns taking you around the surrounding, scrub-filled hills holds interest. The trail tops off, then drops and climbs again. You finally crest out at mile 4.3, then cross a private drive and hit your northern junction (4.4). A right turn here will take you to the northern trailhead (4.9). Watch your speed, as you drop along a trail that can get rutted.
A left turn at the northern junction takes you into Gunbarrel Farms. For the first mile of this trail, you climb fairly steadily and (at times) steeply. (Again, be careful on your return. The surface is uneven enough to keep you from coasting with no braking.) The scenery here is less spectacular, with the Rockies mostly hidden from view until you crest the hill. At that point you have another half-mile or so, cruising down into Heatherwood at the corner of Boulderado Dr & Cambridge St. This extra leg runs 1.7 miles between the junction and the street. Future plans include a new connecting trail, linking Gunbarrel with the county's Cottontail Trail to the north. The hope is to finish that early in the summer of 2001.
