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Wonderland Lake

Darby' Favorite Reason's to Love This Hike:

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  1.  This popular spot in north Boulder is great for a quick trip around Wonderland Lake, (1-1.5 miles) or continue through the Foothills Trail and Four Mile Creek Trail (another 2 miles, each way).  This part of the trail is easy and crowded. Watch out for two and four-legged walkers, strollers, bikers, and horses. As social as it is, prepare to check your pee-mail regularly!

  2. Add another 1- 1.5 miles, and a little bit of an up hill skirting Lee Hill Drive, and hike around the Old Kiln Trail, and see the remnants of the 1990 Old Stage Fire at the Lee Hill Kiln site. This trail is accessed where Four Mile Creek junctions with the South Foothills Trail. There is another trail that's a 1.8 miles loop, the Hogback Ridge Trail- but no doggies allowed here. A map of the trail can be found here.

  3. Walk up Wonderland Hill for views above the lake. Access the dirt trail from the western side of the lake for a moderately steep climb about .5+ miles each way.

  4. Great place for playing or fishing with the kids! There's a fun playground on the southern end of Wonderland Lake and access on the eastern end for fishing. Read more about fishing in Boulder, here. 

  5. We saw paragliders jumping off and chilling out mid-air. There are four launch sites off Foothills Trail to watch them glide for awhile before they land in the near-by park.

  6. Foothills Nature Center hosts education nature programs in a converted farmhouse, but is not open to the public for exhibit.

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County: Boulder

Skill Level: Easy, wheel chair access, to moderate (up the Wonderland Hill Trail and the Old Kiln Trail).

Round Trip Length: 1 mile around Wonderland Lake, add another 2-5 miles to the Foothills and Four Mile Creek trail head.

Pet Regulations: Dogs on leash aroud the lake and on the South Foothills Trail. Dogs are allowed off leash, from the North Foothills Trail to the Four Mile Creek parking lot, if they have up-to-date OSMP dog tags and obey the voice and sight rules. No dogs on the Hogback Ridge Trail. 

Bikes and horses: on the lower trails only

Picnic tables: No

Bathrooms: No

Weather: All weather around the lake. The Old Kiln Trail an the Wonderland Hill Trail may be icy in the winter.

 

Directions: From north Boulder access to Wonderland Lake parking lot is on the west side of Broadway, between Sumac and Utica. Access to Four Mile Creek parking, go further north on Broadway to Lee Hill Drive, make a left. Parking is on the left. Access to the Foothills parking lot, go further north on Broadway, about a half of a mile past the 28th Street juncture, you will see the parking lot on the east side of Broadway. There are plenty of access points from the Wonderland Hills neighborhood. 

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