3 minute read
Rain or Shine, Give These Two Hikes a Try
By Bette Erickson
It was raining in Ketchikan last summer during my visit.
This is like saying it was hilly in San Francisco or it was crowded in Tokyo or it was quaint on Mackinaw Island.
It is always raining in Ketchikan. Seattle, which has a reputation as a rainy city, gets 39 inches of rain a year. Ketchikan gets 13 feet. As I write this in early July, I’m beginning to think Broomfield is catching up with Ketchikan, or at least Seattle in terms of consistent, soggy rainfall.
Still, who was it that said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” (It was Alfred Wainwright.)
If you’re like me and won’t let a bit of rain dampen your hiking and exploring (or a spell of dry heat for that matter), read on as I share a couple of my favorite local hikes.
Boulder’s Woods Quarry via NCAR
The forested route along the Mesa Trail from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in south Boulder stretches to one of Boulder’s most unique destinations: Woods Quarry.
To begin the quick and easy outing, locate the kiosk for the Mesa Trail and access the footpath by walking down a well-marked trail.
Next, follow the trail up to a water storage tank and head north (stay right) along the Mesa Trail. The route only offers a few short inclines. Remember to stay left when you see the sign to Skunk Canyon and soon after is a tiny marker indicating Woods Quarry.
Leave the Mesa Trail here by going left and making your final steep, stair climbing ascent to the quarry. Relax on the sandstone “chairs” before returning the way you came.
Details: About 3.5-miles roundtrip with about 700-feet elevation gain.
Dogs: Yes, on leash.
To the trailhead: Follow Table Mesa Dr. in Boulder west to its end at NCAR. Walk west from the parking lot to the kiosk to begin your hike.
Broomfield-Westminster’s Metzger Farm
Hike #5 on the 2023 Broomfield 100 Outdoor Passport, this expansive open space property offers several miles of inter-connected gravel hiking routes, a dock, picnic pavilion and designated parking area suitable for 40 vehicles.
The 152-acre Metzger Farm is a result of a municipal award-winning joint effort between the cities of Broomfield and Westminster. The public park, open from sunrise to sunset, offers visitors a valuable connector from existing Broomfield trails to the popular Big Dry Creek trail system maintained by Westminster.
If you’re under time constraints, consider a quick mile out and back jaunt along the trail from the north edge of the parking area. Continue east staying right to drop down by the pond’s spillway and crossing the bridge connecting to the Big Dry Creek Trail. Return the way you came.
Alternatively, you could take a left where the trail forks just past the farmstead and head north looping around either by turning west or turning right (east) completing a larger circular route.
Details: Negligible elevation gain; distance varies according to which route you choose.
Dogs: Yes, on leash.
To the trailhead: Metzger Farm is located on the northeast corner of Lowell Blvd. and 120th Ave.
Bette Erickson writes about people, places, and events. Contact her at bette_erickson@hotmail.com.
