Plan Your Trip

The City of Boulder sits at the foot of the majestic Rocky Mountains. Surrounded by a greenbelt of over 35,000 acres with 120 miles of trails, the city is a mecca for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurists. Known as a “green city,” one can navigate the entire city using the bike trails that crisscross the city and run along the beautiful creeks.

A very liberal city, Boulder is on the cutting edge in many respects. We are the center of the natural food product industry, a hub for health and sustainability practices, and a gathering place for consciousness seekers.

Being a university town (with both the University of Colorado and Naropa University, a secular Buddhist-inspired school founded by Allen Ginsberg and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche) the energy here is vibrant and youthful. Independent coffee shops and locally owned restaurants and shops fill the downtown. On Wednesdays and Saturdays the local Farmer’s Market is a wonderful place to hang out and buy delicious local veggies. The heart of town is the ever-lively Pearl Street Mall, where street performers delight both young and old alike.

Boulder also has a lively science community, housing several government scientific institutions including NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), home of the atomic clock that defines the world’s time, NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research), and NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration).

The region was traditionally home to the Southern Arapaho Native American Tribe. The great Chief Niwot and his people lived along the Front Range and often spent the winter in the Boulder Valley. A legend known as “Niwot’s Curse” is said to haunt the area, and prophesizes that travelers will be enchanted by the beauty of the landscape and unable to leave once they arrive.