Winter is a great time to explore some of the trails close to home.
The Chautauqua trailhead in Boulder can be overcrowded in the Summer, but in the Winter, there's lots of available parking and several trails to chose from. Consider the short, but interesting hike to Woods Quarry. The hike is 2.5 miles with about 750 feet elevation gain. (You can add mileage by hiking to the 2rd and 3rd flatiron or Royal Arch, which can be slick in the winter)
The Chautauqua trailhead is at Chautauqua Park. The park entrance is at Grant and Baseline Streets in Boulder. After you pull into the entrance, take the first right and look for a parking space. Then look for the Ranger Station to get a map and use the bathroom.
From the Ranger Station, head for the main trail towards the scenic and amazing Flatirons. Take a photo here, but don't like towards the flatirons. Instead turn left on the wide road-like Mesa trail. Hike about 0.5 miles to a trail split near a bathroom. Take the left onto another trail which is also the Mesa trail. From here you'll hike about 0.4 of a mile to another trail split. Stop here and look at the signs carefully. You should see a sign for the Enchanted Mesa and another one for Woods Quarry.
Take the Woods Quarry trail. It climbs about 250 feet, but you'll know when you're at the end. Woods Quarry is a rock quarry of sorts where people have created benches and chairs using the long flat rocks in the area. On a clear day, you can see for miles. This is a great spot to stop for fun photos and lunch, if the weather is warm enough.
From Woods Quarry, return the exact way you came, or as you exit Woods Quarry, look for a steep, single-track trail on the right. Take that trail down the hill to the Mesa trail. Turn left and that trail will take you back toward the road-like section of the Mesa Trail and the Ranger Station.
To add more mileage, turn right on the Mesa Trail and hike as far as you like, or when you get back to the road-like Mesa trail, turn left and hike to Royal Arch, the 2nd and 3rd flatiron loop or to the Bluebell/Baird trail to the Chautauqua trail. Consider printing this map to help you find your way around.
Read about more hikes on and near the Mesa Trail here.
Read about more hikes in Boulder County, Jefferson County and across Colorado here.
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