Heads Up January 9, 2026

Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is kicking off a systemwide Multimodal Improvements Assessment as part of the Citywide Strategic Plan – Priority Action Item 7C and the OSMP Climate Action Plan. The goals of this project are to better understand how visitors access and move within Boulder’s open space and identify opportunities to improve multimodal access and connections. This yearlong project will focus on strategies that are within OSMP’s purview, such as making key trail connections, allowing additional uses on trails, trailhead and access point improvements, signage and wayfinding enhancements, and community education and outreach.

The early phases of the project will emphasize understanding existing conditions, visitor use patterns, preferences and gaps in the current system, using existing data and targeted community engagement to build a strong foundation for decision-making. Preliminary work on the project has shown a significant community interest in the evaluation, particularly around bike connections on some trail segments.

This project will include multiple community engagement opportunities in 2026, including an intercept survey that will be administered to visitors on open space to broaden project input and participation, and a transparent evaluation framework grounded in OSMP’s Charter purposes, ecological considerations, safety and visitor experience. Staff will keep City Council informed as the project progresses and as recommendations are developed.

For more information on this project, contact Open Space Planner Jena Van Gerwen at vangerwenj@bouldercolorado.gov.

Boulder Falls is one of the most visited destinations on Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) land, drawing an estimated 261,000 visits each year due to its short, easy to hike trail and proximity to the roadway. In November 2024, a large rockfall event caused catastrophic damage to the existing viewing area and rockfall mitigation infrastructure. Subsequent geotechnical analysis found the site has very high and persistent rockfall hazards, including the potential for future large-scale events that could result in serious injury or fatalities to visitors. These risks are difficult and extremely costly to mitigate.

Because Boulder Falls is such a popular and highly visible site, closures and safety messaging directly affect a wide cross-section of the Boulder community, including families, visitors, climbers and people traveling through the canyon. Based on extensive analysis, OSMP staff are bringing two options to the Open Space Board of Trustees on Jan. 14 for feedback: development of a viewing platform close to the roadside and outside of the highest rockfall risk area or permanent closure for the foreseeable future. Both options prioritize keeping people out of the highest-risk areas while addressing strong community interest in the site.

Following the OSBT discussion and direction, staff will update signage to clearly reflect the chosen path forward. Until a safe solution is implemented, the area remains dangerous, and it is critical that the community continues to avoid closed areas to reduce the risk of serious injury or loss of life.

For more information on Boulder Falls, please contact Visitor Infrastructure Senior Manager Hilary Dees at deesh@bouldercolorado.gov.

Community Connectors-in-Residence (CC-in-R) have shared an update with city council, a report designed to elevate the experiences and voices of historically excluded communities.

This update includes a themes of community strengths and community issues, as collected by CC-in-Rs, as well as topics from CC-in-R's Racial Equity Instrument Step Review and Feedback process, themes from CC-in-R consultation on the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, themes from a Chat with Council hosted in partnership with a CC-in-R, and updates on CC-in-R activities.

This update may be found here and was also included in the information packet shared with council on Dec.24, 2025.

For more information about Community Connectors-in-Residence, please visit their program webpage or contact Community Engagement Manager Ryan Hanschen at hanschenr@bouldercolorado.gov or Equity Policy Advisor Ana Silvia Avendaño-Curiel at avendano-curiela@bouldercolorado.gov.

Regards,
Chris