Perfect Day In Boulder

Anytime a friend comes to town, I like spend a day with them in Boulder. We start the morning off with a hike and end it shopping on Pearl Street.

A PERFECT DAY IN BOULDER

• 8:30-11:00 - Royal Arch Hike in Chautauqua Park
• 11:30-1:00 - Lunch on Pearl Street. There are so many fabulous cafes and restaurants to choose from. Check out Brasserie 1010 {French cuisine that serves a very yummy brunch} , Centro {amazing cocktail menu} or West End Tavern {a great rooftop patio}
• 1:00 - 4:00 - Stroll and Shop! In the summer months, Pearl Street Mall becomes the stage for street performers and the shopping is fantastic as well. Major fashion finds at Willlow, Chelsea, and Stars.

HIKE DETAILS

History: The rocks that make up the Royal Arch are remnants of the Fountain Formation, a mineral-rich sand eroded from the ancestral Rocky Mountain uplift 300 million years ago. Sediments deposited by the ebb and flow of inland oceans compressed this layer into sandstone, thrust upward 45 million years ago by the same tectonic forces that created our modern Rocky Mountains. Royal Arch is a fragment of the exposed Fountain Formation sculpted by water, wind and mechanical erosion into the 20� span we see today. (source: pro trails)

Trail: Royal Arch- Chautauqua Park

Difficultly: Moderate - Strenuous

Elevation: +1,417' total roundtrip elevation gain

Distance: 3.2 miles. I started off the hike on the Chautauqua Trail which connects to the Royal Arch Trail. What is great about this hike is that you can take a different route on the way down. (see map below)

Directions to Trailhead - 900 Baseline Road Boulder Colorado 80302

• From Boulder Take Baseline Road west past 9th street and Chautauqua Park is on the left hand side. Turn left into Chautauqua Park. Overflow parking is also available along Baseline Road, south of the park entrance.
• From Denver: Take I-25 North to Highway 36 towards Boulder. From Highway 36, take the Baseline Road exit and turn left. Take Baseline Road west past 9th street and Chautauqua Park is on the left hand side. Turn left into Chautauqua Park. Overflow parking is also available along Baseline Road, south of the park entrance.