(For 2017, I have a goal of getting through all 60 trails in the book “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles Denver Edition.” You’ll see these posts all year-long. You can find a lot of info on each of the trails in the book, but I’ll highlight some things each time in addition to including my experience and opinion on the trail. The number below is associated with how they are labeled in the book if you have it.)

Trail #5 – Boulder – Walden Ponds
Completed: 1/22/17 | Mode: Running!
Location: Boulder, about 75th and Jay Rd
Distance: 2.5 miles
Difficulty:  Easy, peasy
Surface: Hard packed dirt
Exposure: Lots of shade

My Experience:
After driving through peaceful, organic farming land, I got to a lot of old warehouses,  buildings that just looked abandoned, and actually abandoned buildings. I was thinking there is no way that a nice trail listed in this book would be out here. Sure enough, one block later, there was Walden Ponds trailhead. If you can’t tell already, this wasn’t one of my favorites. What used to be gravel pits have filled with water over the years and with it, a lot of wildlife. All I saw was a lot of ducks and other birds. Although there were some beautiful views, I couldn’t get over the smell of the nearby water treatment plant. Did I paint a good enough picture for you?

You can see all the buildings on the other side of the pond, one of which is the water treatment plant.

Pros:
-Beautiful view to one side
-Flat, shady and lots of different loop options.
-A lot of wildlife

Cons:
-Smelly, literally
-Crowded
-Bird watchers (I felt kind of bad blazing through with the sound of my running)

Tips:
-Don’t go to this trail 😉
-In all seriousness, this would be a great family trail because there is pamphlet that points out all the wildlife.

Overall:
I’m not quite sure why this trail is in the book. I can’t tell if the book was written for people from out of town or people living in Denver. Either way, it could have been left out. Sure, there’s a pretty view of the mountains, but there’s just as beautiful landscape at much better trails. If you’re nearby and want to get in a loop run, go here. If you’re far, or from out of town, it’s not worth the drive.

Check out the book (Affiliate link):