Experience the humbling beauty of the plains on the Niwot Trails. Affording a spectacular mountain view, follow historical irrigation routes through this cottonwood-lined path.
Niwot Trails
Trails
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95th Street
1.0 mile – Easy
-
Cougar Trail
0.8 miles – Easy -
Hidden Star Trail
1.5 miles – Easy
Some marked sections are closed to horses -
Legend Ridge Loop
1.5 miles – Easy -
Niwot Hills Trail
0.6 miles – Easy -
Overbrook Trail
1.3 miles – Easy -
Somerset Trail
1.1 miles – Easy
Rules & Regulations
Pets On Leash
Bikes On Designated Trails Only
No Drones
No Hunting/Firearms
No Camping
Lefthand Valley Grange Trailhead
30 car parking spots
2 ADA van accessible parking spots
Restroom near trailhead
50 person group shelter
Monarch Trailhead
10 car parking spots (no designated ADA spots)
1 horse trailer parking spots
Niwot Trailhead
13 car parking spots
1 ADA van accessible parking spot
Keep in Mind
- Niwot Trails connects with the Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail.
- Regional trails and regional trail connectors are open to commuters 24 hours per day. Trailheads close at sunset and parking is not allowed between sunset and sunrise.
Photos
Open Gallery in New WindowMammals
- Black-tailed prairie dog
- Coyote
- Mule deer
- Racoon
- Red fox
Birds
- Barn swallow
- Blue jay
- Chickadee
- Great horned owl
- Kestrel
- Killdeer
- Northern flicker
- Nuthatch
- Red-winged blackbird
- Say’s phoebe
Amphibians & Reptiles
- Bull snake
Trees and Shrubs
- Choke cherry (Prunus virginiana)
- Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
- Golden current (Ribes aureum)
- Peach leaved willows (Salix amygdaloides)
Yellow Wildflowers
- Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
White Wildflowers
- Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)
Western Interior Seaway
Eighty million years ago this entire area was covered with a great inland sea, the Western Interior Seaway, and evidence of this ancient sea is abundant along parts of the Niwot Trails. The sandstone formations found here were deposited in this sea and trace fossils are still here showing where marine organisms made their burrows.
The Name
Chief Niwot (c. 1825-1864) was a tribal leader of the Southern Arapaho people and played an important part in the history of Colorado. Chief Niwot and his people lived along the Front Range often wintering in Boulder Valley, site of the future city of Boulder.
The Trails
These trails follow along historic ditch routes and wind through neighborhoods of Niwot, allowing access for many residents to wild areas just steps away from home.
In April 2003, the Board of County Commissioners approved a list of 10 prioritized regional trail projects. The Longmont-Boulder Trail was among the top, consisting partly of the Niwot Loop Trail.