Cottonwood Trailhead — Attraction in Boulder

It's a fairly simple flat trail that weaves from just behind the Municipal Airport off of Independence Road to Jay Road. I'd recommend it if you just want an easy walk outdoors. Along the way there is some tree shading but a large portion of the trail is open to the sun so be aware of that on sunny and hot days. My dog loves meandering off-leash (as we have the Boulder County Voice & Sight tag and this is a trail you can use that tag on) and there are usually one or two other dogs on the trail. There are also cyclists (sometimes going very fast) and runners as it connects to a larger network of trails. The view of the mountains are great but the nearby topography isn't very interesting. Although you are pretty much guaranteed to see prairie dogs popping in an out of their mounds safely...

Short connector trail along Goose Creek. Prairie dog colony to the SW of the parking lot, Boulder Airport to the NE. Fun place to watch the planes and hang gliders come in to land as they fly low and almost directly over the parking area. Hayden Lake is close to the trailhead and brings in...

From cottonwood trailhead to CU boulder east campus, single trip is about 3.1 miles, half the trip covered by tree shades, almost all road crossings are through tunnels, concrete road, more cycling than running/walking, overall pretty good trail...