Protect People, Stay Home. if It’s Essential, Practice Safe and Responsible Recreation
Our shared open space and parks make Boulder, Boulder. However, during this extraordinary time, please remain at home as much as possible and avoid visiting crowded open space and park areas. Please share this important message with our community.
We recognize that outdoor recreation, which is allowed under the current stay-at-home order, is important for helping community members to get through these trying times. However, please, remain at home as much as you can.
City and Boulder County open space trails are seeing increased usage and a significant number of people who are not following public health orders and guidance to practice physical distancing and wear face coverings when leaving home.
If this continues or if new health guidance is issued, additional park areas and open space trail closures may need to be considered. To ensure that our shared public lands remain safe for everyone, the city would like to share important responsible recreation guidelines that will help protect community members, first responders, and parks and open space maintenance staff.
Please share these important reminders with your friends and your family members. The city requests the cooperation of the public to maintain more than 6 feet of physical distancing, follow face covering guidelines, and avoid unnecessary travel to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to flatten the curve. Community members are also asked to adhere to open space and parks management efforts, including forthcoming measures like one-way travel for popular open space trails.
Think twice before you recreate
- Don’t forget. Follow stay-at-home orders and protect each other.
- Stay home as much as possible, and do not go into public if you are sick.
- If you still plan to recreate, go with members of your family or your household only.
- Plan to wear face coverings — even in open space and parks areas.
- Avoid travel and unnecessary car rides. Visit areas as close to home as possible.
- Avoid busy open space trails and trailheads. If you do visit open space, leave early or arrive late to avoid crowds. If a parking lot is full, move on.
- Protect open space rangers, police officers, firefighters, medical personnel and parks maintenance staff. Don’t take any risks.
Access city information resources
- Visit OSMP Trails.org to see historic data that shows areas of high and low open space use and trails that are wider than 6 feet. See when trails are busiest through our Visitation Data Explorer.
- View Boulder Parks and Recreation facility closures across the city.
If you still plan to visit
- Keep the space” in open space and our parks. Stay more than 6 feet away from anyone not in your household. That is about the length of a bicycle or a pair of skis.
- Don’t forget to bring a face covering to help protect others.
- Stay on open space trails and walk through mud but step off the trail to let others pass.
- Hike and bike single file to allow physical distancing. Announce yourself when passing others from behind.
- Remove your trash and pick up after your dog.
- Due to increased visitation, leashes are encouraged in Voice and Sight areas.
- Leave park equipment untouched. Wash your hands. Cover coughs and sneezes into your elbows. Don't shake hands.
Stay-up-to-date
Community members can access the latest coronavirus and recreation information from the city by:
- Visiting bouldercolorado.gov/coronavirus.
- Accessing OSMP.org or texting "OSMP" to 888-777.
- Following Open Space and Mountain Parks at @boulderosmp through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
- Visiting Boulder Parks and Recreation website and following the department at @boulderparksrec through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.