Hiking at TASI

(an unofficial guide by Tom DeGrand)

Boulder is in a pretty diverse outdoor ecosystem.  The prairie allows for excellent road cycling, on the smaller roads extending mostly north and east of Boulder.  The foothills include the Boulder Mountain Parks, essentially everything you can see, west of campus.  You can find maps and guides in bookstores, or see the OSMP interactive trail map.   

You can walk to at least one trail head from the dorms: Chatauqua Park, a mile west on Baseline Road.  The high peaks run from Rocky Mountain National Park on the north, down to the Indian Peaks Wilderness and James Peaks Wilderness, in Roosevelt National Forest. These areas are about an hour away by car.  There are numerous guides to these areas in local bookstores, in addition to links on the obvious web pages.

On Sunday of the  first weekend, there is typically a guided hike into the Boulder Mountain Parks.  The City of Boulder has started a free shuttle to Chatauqua Park on Saturdays and Sundays.  The bus runs from 8 AM to 8 PM (probably) and stops in the big parking lot between the dorms and C4C.  If it is still running (which I expect will be the case) we will use it to get to the trail head, rather than organizing an army of cars.

The later weeks are less well planned.  In past years Tom has organized a single trip each week, up to the high country.  However, most of these  areas are officially Wilderness Areas, and there are restrictions on the size of parties (less than twelve people) which can go there. This makes running one large trip impossible. Tom will try to suggest many alternatives for smaller groups to do on their own, as well as recruiting drivers to lead.

Be Prepared!

Wherever you go, you will need a small pack which can hold a water bottle and your lunch. You can wear tennis shoes, but there will still a lot of snow in the high peaks in June and real hiking boots are much better up there. Be prepared for bright sun, wind, rain, heat, cold, and snow (i.e., have long pants, a water repellent jacket and a hat). If you do go on a TASI hike, you have signed an implicit social contract to stay with the group and not go wandering off on your own.

We have only had one "TASI incident,'' in many years of hiking. In 2004, we had to call out the local Mountain Rescue team to find two lost TASI hikers.  They unthinkingly separated themselves from the group as a thunderstorm came in, became disoriented, and headed randomly down hill.  They were found around 9 PM on the other side of the mountain, cold,  tired and wet, but otherwise undamaged. We found out later that they had no maps, no compass, and no rain gear.

The moral is: you cannot go blindly into the woods assuming that someone will watch out for you.  You need to carry a map and know how to read it.  You have to stick together and be aware of where you are and what you are doing. Also, you cannot count on your fellow TASI students to come looking for you if you disappear alone! (One person came with Tom -- part way back up the mountain -- when he went looking for the lost people.)  You should ask yourself, "What would I do if I had to spend the night out with what's in my pack?" and prepare accordingly.  (Tom will be happy to tell you what he carries.) 

By the way, cell phone coverage in the mountains is very spotty; if you really need it, your cell phone won't work.

Places to Go

There are numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation in and around Boulder.  We highly recommend walking in the Boulder Mountain Parks. Closer to town, the Creek Path runs along Boulder Creek from the foothills,  several miles west of town, to the prairie, several miles east.  To get to it, go downhill and north on any of the big streets by campus (Broadway, 19th, Folsom).  To get to Folsom, follow the scale model of the solar system from Regent Drive near your dorm, going North past the Engineering School.

Rocky Mountain Park is another obvious destination.   Note that you will need a timed entry reservation (and a park pass) to get in.   There is a link on the Park home page where you can do this. There are several nice areas:

South of the park are the Indian Peaks Wilderness and James Peak Wilderness in the Roosevelt National Forest.  Some of the trail heads also require reservations. For the ones that don't, get an early start! Go up Boulder Canyon to Nederland and beyond.