Plan ahead for open space visits

By Deborah Huth Price Redstone Review

LYONS – Getting outdoors is an easy thing to do in Lyons. Parks, trails, and bike paths are accessible in all directions, and nearby open space provides opportunities to hike, bike, bird watch, go fishing, enjoy photography, and more.

As the population increases in Colorado, these places get more and more crowded. Where is the best place to go, what time, and what day? Fortunately, this information is not hard to come by, due to resources provided by Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) and the City of Longmont Parks and Natural Resources.

Every five years since 1990, BCPOS conducts a visitor use survey of their properties, to determine questions related to things like visitor numbers, type of recreation, trail conflicts, and opinions about the sites. The survey was due to happen in 2020 but with the Covid pandemic, the survey was delayed until 2021.

Some of the BCPOS properties close to Lyons include Hall Ranch (Hwy. 7), Heil Valley Ranch (off Hwy. 36 at Lefthand Canyon), Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain (north of Hwy. 66), and Pella Crossing (just south of Hygiene). All are popular sites with lots of visitation, and all four remain very busy, particularly in the summer months. According to recent survey results, Hall Ranch and Heil Valley Ranch have the highest number of Lyons residents visiting, with 14 percent of visitors at Hall coming from Lyons and 21 percent of visitors at Heil Valley Ranch from Lyons. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t find a time to go and not be crowded out. Due to the survey results, you can find the least busy days of the week and times to visit, especially if you have a flexible schedule.

Michelle Marotti, BCPOS Education and Outreach Specialist, wants to make sure visitors know that you can go to the website for each property to see a chart exhibiting the visitation on a daily and hourly basis. Weekends are obviously busiest, and she suggests visiting on Tuesday through Thursday, or in the evenings. She also suggests signing up

Registering for the event will enter participants in a drawing for one of two $100 gift cards from the Flower Bin Garden Center and Nursery in Longmont.

Tour details and registration info can be found at www.lyonsgardenclub.com. In lieu of tickets, the Lyons Garden Club is accepting donations to register for the Mountain Blooms Garden Tour. Options for donations are available on the website. Prior to the tour, participants will receive a map to the gardens and descriptions of each garden. The map will also serve as each participant’s entry ticket.

In-person registration will also be available at Sandstone Park on Saturday, June 17, along with printed tour maps. Garden club members will be there to answer questions and provide information about the tour.

Look for more information during the next month on Facebook, local media, town email blasts and the town utility bill. Our website will provide all details of the tour and informational updates. for text notifications to alert visitors to when trails are closed. Go to www.bouldercounty.gov/open-space/parks-andtrails/trail-closures to find out about trail closures. You can also sign up there to receive email and text alerts regarding trail closures and openings. To see a list of all county properties, go to www.bouldercounty.gov/openspace/parks-and-trails and you can click on

Proceeds from the event will go towards maintaining our current gardens, purchase of tools, seeds and other supplies and supporting gardening projects throughout Lyons. Our motto since our founding is “Making Lyons Beautiful, One Flower at a Time.” This event certainly is in keeping with that motto. Please join us for this exciting and fun event, which will involve the whole community.

Don’t you want to get outside on June 17, and see what nature has to offer through the inspired work of local gardeners enhancing our environment? Treat your eyes and mind to the beauty that is all around you and take home the knowledge you gain. Invite your neighbors, friends and family. Support making Lyons more beautiful one flower at a time.

Hall Ranch is a favorite destination for Lyons hikers.