Fourth of July Trailhead — Attraction in Nederland

Sometimes you have to work a little harder to get to a trailhead. About six miles of dirt road with four miles really requiring a high clearance vehicle can make getting to the Fourth of July trailhead challenging. BUT, it is worth it! I was amazed at how full the parking area was when we arrived at 8:30 AM. Many of the vehicles were small sub compacts with low clearance but they braved the road successfully.

There are limited parking spaces directly at the trailhead but parking is allowed along the access road facing outbound. The best bet is to drive to the trailhead to turn around and then look for the first place you can sneak into as you head back out. With any luck you will not have to park too far away.

There is a clean outhouse at the trailhead that is busy with folks lined up before tackling the trails.

The trails are well maintained and offer nice shade in the lower portions. The winter of 2023 left snow tucked away in ravines and gulches that feed a constant flow of water cascading across the trail in lots of places. They are not difficult to cross and offer spectacular views of waterfalls surrounded by gorgeous wildflowers.

The trailhead is a great jumping off place for a day hike or access to the backcountry for camping and...

I arrived on a Sunday, labor day weekend, at around 2:30PM, expecting there to be no parking. I was pleasantly greeted by a gentleman directing cars in, who informed me that if I just waited a minute for some cars to come out, I wouldn't have any problem finding parking. Only took but maybe a 5 minute wait and I was on my way up the road in my 2016 Prius. The road had many of holes and rocks that made me very nervous but taking them between 5mph to 10, my little car did just fine. I would more than likely never attempt to drive my car up there again due to the condition of the road but for other cars that have higher clearance or AWD the road is a piece of cake. I saw many of other cars like mine making the trek so it's definitely doable, I just dont want to risk damaging the Prius. The trail was beautiful and so much easier than I had expected. Based off of other peoples recorded hike times on Alltrails, I was not expecting to get to Dorothy Lake so quickly and be able to finish my hike in time before it got dark. But I did make it all the way up to the look out point and back with only hiking in the dark for a couple minutes! The views at the top are 100% worth of every little ache of exhaustion. Just wish the smoke/haze was out of...

I decided to hike at 4th of July trailhead on a whim; it is fairly close to Boulder and looked (from Google Maps) to be pretty close to some big mountains. I drove out there on a Sunday morning. The drive to get there through Nederland was beautiful in itself. As I got closer to the trailhead, the road got rougher and rougher. In the last 5 mile stretch, it was a fairly narrow, rocky dirt path. I'd think twice about attempting that trip in sub-optimal weather.

Upon arriving at the trailhead, I was greeted with a full parking lot and cars parked along the road for a hundred meters. Very strange for a trailhead with no reviews. Talking to a few hikers, they said the region was one of the most beautiful in the area.

When I set off on the hike, I was overwhelmed with the sights. From this trailhead, you can reach Arapaho peak, Arapaho glacier, Diamond Lake and a few other landmarks. It only takes a few miles to get above the treeline as well. There was a good mix of vegetation and rocky terrain. There are a lot of other hikers out there, so this may not be the best trail if isolation is what you are seeking, but it sure...