Boulder Valley Ranch - Lefthand Trailhead
Location7200-7598 N 39th St, Boulder, CO 80302
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Website |
PDF Map
Trail Map
Park Fees
Free.
Trailer Parking
The Lefthand trailhead has a nice pull around circle. I parked right in the middle since the cars were parked around the edge. It didn't feel tight and I was able to pull out without a problem. If I had a group of 3-4 trailers and we lined up and parked behind each other there would have been enough room for all of us.
BathroomsThere is a bathroom at the Beech trailhead which is 0.7 miles down the Left Hand Trail.
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WaterNone available.
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Mounting
Going west from the Lefthand trailhead there is a swing gate to go through. After going through this first gate I used the parking lot fence to get on Sam.
Footing
Moderately rocky singletrack. Sam only had front shoes on and he really tried to walk beside the path on the grass. I think he would have felt more comfortable with full shoes and pads.
Horse Hazards
We met the usual hikers and bikers and dogs on leash. I dismounted for gates once each way and there was a very scary moose statue by one of the sets of gates. Otherwise this is a pretty remote trail.
Chosen Trail
Sam and I rode from the Lefthand Trailhead to the Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead on Longhorn Road. We rode 5.6 miles in 1 hr and 45 minutes. It took us an hour to reach the Boulder Valley Ranch Longhorn Road Trailhead and 45 minutes to walk back to the the trailer at the Lefthand Trailhead. You can extend your ride by doing the Sage-Eagle Loop once you reach the Boulder Valley Ranch Longhorn Rd. trailhead. Usage includes equestrians, dogs on a leash and bikers and hikers.
Trail Experience
We walked through the first gate to mount by the fence and start riding the lefthand trail. It was a pretty rocky singletrack and Sam walked on the grass besides the trail. There were a lot of prarie dog holes to watch for if you are not walking exactly on the trail.
We wound around a few curves and then went through a fence opening with no gate.
We came up to the Beech trailhead in 0.7 miles. There is a picnic table area and a bathroom. The Beech parking lot could fit 1-2 trailers if it is empty. There is only one exit/entrance so it really depends on how good you are at turning around a big trailer. It was pretty easy to park at the Lefthand trailhead so I assume that would be easier.
The trail was well marked and had a great sign showing horses were allowed and dogs must be on leash.
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Leaving the Beech trailhead area the trail was very inviting and curved uphill. This is a great place to trot or canter. Sam likes to smell the wind a lot when we go new places and was a little uncomfortable on the rocks so we just walked.
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The trail went around a curve and we came upon a gate and a bridge. Sam bravely nudged the gate open with his nose so we did not dismount. The gate had a chain to loop over the log but no spring.
More pretty views along the singletrack trail. There were some eroded drainage pipes and some plastic on the fence but Sam did not notice.
The singletrack continued, this would be another great place for a trot.
As we curved south-west there were some better views of the mountains.
After crossing the bridge there was a really nice uphill climb. Watch for bikers coming downhill quickly around the corners.
When we reached the top we turned around and looked back at the view.
We crossed another gate. Sam let me hold this one open without dismounting, there was a spring on the gate but it was pretty loose.
We came upon another series of 2 gates bordering a private road. The big scary object was the moose statues! Sam stared and stared. There are two gates here to open and close but if you dismount once you can walk through both of them then remount. We used the wooden fence to get back on and Sam kept staring at the strange moose statues.
This was a really pretty section of the trail as we went downhill and approached Boulder Valley Ranch's Longhorn Rd. trailhead.
There are 2 more gates if you want to continue on the trail and meet up with the Sage or Eagle trails. We turned around.
More pretty views on the way back.
Below: Coming up on Beech trailhead then heading back to parking lot.
Rating
Moderately Easy. If your horse is ok with bridges and bikers this is a pretty easy trail. If Sam had rear shoes we would have trotted and cantered this trail. We did not see a lot of scary objects, just the strange moose statues. It would be a great trail to ride with 3 friends so you could alternate who opened the gates.