Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain Open Space — Attraction in Colorado

One of my favorite short "hikes" in Boulder County. Have been coming here for ages. Some things to know. On most of the trails there is very little tree coverage meaning in the dead of Summer it can be a VERY hot walk. Keep this in mind if you're bringing your four legged buddies. There is a small covered area with a grill that I believe may be first come first serve but don't quote me. There are restrooms as well as a pretty decent amount of parking either in the lot or on the road.

Plenty of wild flowers in the spring and early summer as well as an abundance of song birds and several birds of prey including a Bald Eagle from time to time. Deer are very common as well as foxes and coyotes but they typically keep to themselves during the parks open hours. If one ever approaches you you should probably keep clear as this is uncommon behavior and the animal could be sick. Has never happened to me here but it is a possibility.

Just a PSA - Keep your pups on leash because BC Rangers AND Boulder County Sherrifs patrol the area heavily and may issue citations and as always...putting your dogs waste into a bag doesn't count as picking it up. You have to actually make it into the waste bin for that to be the case. Be a Dear and do everyone a favor and pick up after Fido won't you?

Otherwise, everyone seems to be quite friendly when you pass them either on foot, on bike, or even on horseback. Don't forget the...

We did a mid-morning hike along the Eagle Wind Trail, which is a 2.5 mile loop. It is a moderate hike with a 159 ft. elevation change. Beautiful views of the front range on the western half of the loop and sweeping views of the flatland and lakes on the eastern half of the trail. The day we hiked, there was a nice breeze blowing from the east which made that half of the hike more pleasant, as it was a fairly hot morning. We took our time and stopped a lot to take photos and enjoy the views, so out total time on the trail was close to three hours, but I'm sure we could have done it in a shorter time than that if we had kept up a steady pace. Spotted a mule deer on the western half of the trail, but it saw us and quickly and quietly disappeared into the trees and underbrush. We also saw a raven hanging out in the top of a pine tree as well as many other birds that we couldn't identify. We're not really bird people. But we do like to observe them. This is one of my favorite hikes along the front range. There's something about these big, open spaces and the mountains that really make this...

Well maintained trails lead to great views of the front range and surrounding plains! It’s a bit sad seeing the sprawl, but at least this place will preserve open space for generations to come. The parking lot is well laid out but always full when the weather is nice. There’s no sign on the bridge but don’t park there or you’ll get a ticket, rangers visit regularly! Dogs are not allowed off leash, and be sure to clean up after yours if you bring them. Friendly furries only, please! No one likes a trail scuffle, so don’t be that owner- you know...