Trail and Area Closures and Advisories

Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) makes every attempt to keep this page up to date. However, some closures or advisories are emergent for the safety and well-being of our visitors, wildlife and natural resources. Please watch for these signs during your visit. Accessing closed areas can result in a summons with penalties up to 90 days in jail and/or a $2,650 fine.

Interactive Closure Maps

Temporary Closures, Advisories and Fire Bans

Emergent Closures

1st/2nd Flatiron Trail weekday closures beginning June 15

Due to rapidly deteriorating conditions on the 1st/2nd Flatiron Trail, OSMP Trails will be continuing repair efforts between the First and Second Flatirons. Work will include the rebuilding of stone infrastructure and restoration. For visitor and staff safety, the 1st/2nd Flatiron Trail will be closed beginning Monday, June 15 during work hours from 8 am-4:30 pm, Monday -Thursday every week until the fall. The closure will start at the bridge at the base of the 1st Flatiron to the junction with New Saddle Rock. Climbers may climb the 1st and hike down the trail, but may encounter significant delays.

Trail work in the Shanahan area beginning June 10

Trail and road repair work in the Shanahan area will begin June 10 and last about 5-6 weeks. The trails remain open, but visitors may encounter heavy equipment in use. Work will occur on North Fork Shanahan, Shanahan Connector, South Fork Shanahan (between Hardscrabble and the water tank), and the Hardscrabble Access Trails.

Muddy Trail Closures

Muddy Trail Closures

OSMP closes certain areas when there are muddy conditions

Muddy Text Alerts

Text “OSMP” to 888-777 to sign up for text updates about muddy trail closures.

One-day Trailhead Closures

OSMP regularly closes trailheads for one-day maintenance work. Trails in the area usually remain open.

South Mesa Trailhead June 22

The trailhead will be closed from 6 am to 5 pm on Monday, June 22 for contractor work in the area. Trails in the area will remain open.

Centennial Trailhead June 25

The trailhead will be closed from 6 am to 4:30 pm on Thursday, June 25 for trailhead maintenance work. Trails in the area will remain open.

Longer-term Closures

Trailhead Closures

Flatirons Vista Trailhead closure beginning March 30
The Flatirons Vista Trailhead will be closed for approximately 3 months for a major trailhead renovation beginning Monday, March 30. Trails in the area will remain open, unless closed for muddy conditions. Learn more about the Trailhead Improvements Project.

Trail Closures

Red Rocks Trail segments closed beginning Apr. 20, 2026
Xcel Energy is completing repairs on infrastructure in the Red Rocks area beginning Monday, Apr. 20. The work is expected to take 12 weeks. Please respect this trail closure as equipment and dangerous construction conditions may exist. For questions about the project contact Manuel Gonzalez, Q3 Contracting Inc., Edwin.Gonzalez@prim.com. For all other inquires please use Inquire Boulder. The work impacts the following trail segments:

  • A portion of the Red Rocks Trail from Sunshine Canyon/Centennial Trailhead up to the Anemone Loop junction is closed Monday - Saturday each week. Visitors may detour around the closure on the Red Rocks Spur Trail to the east.
  • A western section of the Red Rocks Trail from The Peoples' Crossing Trailhead to the north is intermittently closed with flaggers directing visitors through the area. Visitors may detour around the closure on the Red Rocks Spur Trail to the east.

Boulder Falls Trail closed indefinitely
The Boulder Falls area in Boulder Canyon is closed after a rockslide damaged the trail and infrastructure that keeps rocks and sediment from falling on the trail. There is no estimated timeline for when the area may reopen and more information will be provided once an assessment is completed. Climbers who access Dream Canyon through Boulder Falls should take alternate routes, such as Sugarloaf Road.

Other Closures or Advisories

Boulder Star Area closure
The City of Boulder reminds everyone to view the Boulder Star from afar as it remains closed. No designated trail currently leads to the Boulder Star. Learn more about viewing the Boulder Star from afar.

Fire Bans or Restrictions

Boulder County Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect for all of unincorporated Boulder County. Open burning is not allowed anywhere in unincorporated Boulder County whenever certain weather alerts are issued by the National Weather Service (e.g. red flag warning, and high wind events).

Current Area Closures

The area closures below do not close any designated hiking trails (climbing access trails may be affected). Please be sure to check for any leash restrictions if you are bringing a dog. Current area closures can be seen on the Wildlife Closures map.

The following areas are closed to protect nesting Bald Eagles from Nov. 1 - July 31:

The areas below are closed from Dec. 15 to July 31 for the protection of nesting Golden Eagles:

  • Lefthand Canyon Palisades, at the intersection of Lefthand Canyon Drive and Olde Stage Road (Buckingham Picnic area remains open).

The following closures were lifted early on May 15, 2026:

  • May's Point, the area north and west of May's Point; the trail remains open.
  • Skunk Canyon, including Ridges 2, 3 and 4, the Aechean Pronouncement, the Dreadnaught, Hippo Head, the North Ridge and the entirety of Sacred Cliffs.

Thanks to OSMP visitors and volunteers for supporting these closures and the cliff-nesting raptor program! The following areas (listed north to south) are closed from Feb. 1 - July 31 to protect falcons:

  • Third Flatiron, including Queen Anne’s Head, W.C Fields Pinnacle, 1911 Gully and the Ghetto, the East Bench & West Bench, the East & West Ironing Boards, The Fin, Green Thumb and Jaws.
  • Back Porch and The Box
  • Fern Canyon, north of the Fern Canyon Trail, including the Nebel Horn Ridge, East Ridge, the Goose and the Goose Eggs (the designated Fern Canyon hiking trail remains open).
  • The Wings
  • Shadow Canyon and the Matron: The Maiden remains open and accessible from the east; Shadow Canyon Trail remains open.
  • The entire Mickey Mouse wall, including South Tower, North Tower, Central Tower, Ship's Prow, Wall of Shiva's Dance, The Gargoyle, the East Face and Cryptic Crags.

Please note: Golden Eagle closures now begin on Dec. 15.

The following closures were lifted early on May 15, 2026:

Thank you for your cooperation in respecting the closures and providing the owls a quiet place to nest!

These areas are closed to protect nesting burrowing owls every year from March 15-Oct. 31:

This Parks and Recreation property will be closed through Oct. 31 if burrowing owls nest in the area:

  • Boulder Reservoir (Dry Creek East): East of 51st/55th Streets, south of Dry Creek, west of the Boulder Reservoir water body and north of the private property on North 51st St.

The following trails are leash-required for dogs during burrowing owl nesting form March 15-Oct. 31:

  • East Boulder Trail from the Boulderado access point to the junction with White Rocks Trail
  • Vesper Trail

All designated trails near these areas remain open to help visitors view wildlife species as they thrive in their native habitats.

The following area on OSMP is closed every year from March 15 to Sept. 10 to protect nesting osprey and Northern Harrier:

  • Axelson: Part of the Axelson property near the Boulder Reservoir is closed from March 15 to Sept. 10 every year to protect nesting osprey.
  • Boulder Valley Ranch: West of 51st/55th, west of Eagle Trail and west of the Boulder Valley Ranch pond.
  • Sawhill Ponds: The southwest corner of the Sawhill Ponds property, located west of 75th St. between Valmont and Jay.

The following areas on Parks & Recreation land are closed every year from March 15 to Sept. 10 to protect nesting osprey, northern harrier and American bittern:

  • Boulder Reservoir (Little Dry Creek East): East of 51st/55th Streets, south of private property on North 51st St., west of the Boulder Reservoir water body and north of the Boulder Reservoir Regional Park entrance.
  • Boulder Reservoir (Little Dry Creek West): West of 51st/55th Streets, south of the Eagle Trailhead, east of Boulder Valley Ranch and north of private property on Valhalla Drive.
  • Boulder Reservoir (Dry Creek East): East of 51st/55th Streets, south of Dry Creek, west of the Boulder Reservoir water body and north of the private property on North 51st St.
  • Coot Lake: Within the wooden fence that surrounds the western portion of the Coot Lake area.

All designated trails near these areas remain open to help visitors view wildlife species as they thrive in their native habitats.

Grassland breeding birds have seen widespread and precipitous declines at a continental scale due to a variety of impacts. OSMP provides habitat for several species of grassland nesting birds including Grasshopper Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Vesper Sparrow, Horned Lark, Lark Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. OSMP closes certain areas to help reduce human impacts that could disturb nesting birds.

These closures do not affect designated trails in the area which remain open throughout the closure period.

The following areas are closed May 1 - July 31 every year:

  • Greenbelt Plateau: Both sides of the Greenbelt Plateau trail from the Community Ditch trail to the Greenbelt Plateau trailhead on Highway 128. Dogs must be on-leash on the Greenbelt Plateau trail;
  • Doudy Draw: the area north of Community Ditch trail and west of Highway 93;
  • Flatirons Vista: the area north of Flatirons Vista North trail and west of Highway 93 on top of the mesa; and
  • Lower Big Bluestem: the area north of the South Boulder Creek West Trail, east of the Bluestem Connector and south of Shanahan Ridge (dogs are prohibited off-trail in this area year round).
  • Hester, DeLuca and Campbell properties: located north of Nimbus Road and west of 39th Street.
  • Jenik/Cosslett property: north of East Boulder - Gunbarrel Trail, south of Lookout Road. Vesper Trail remains open but dogs must be leashed.
  • North Sky Trail: visitors must always remain on trail. Dogs are prohibited on the trail May 1 to July 31. Dogs are allowed on the trail Aug. 1 through April 30, but they must be leashed at all times.

Note: Dogs must be on-leash on Lower Big Bluestem year round due to West Trail Study Area Implementation.

Female bats locate roosting sites in caves and rock crevices along the foothills, where the pups are raised in maternity colonies. The pups suffer high mortality rates even under normal conditions, so these closures help ensure they will remain undisturbed by humans during roosting season. Thank you for your cooperation!

Permanent closures:

The following areas are closed permanently to human use to reduce the chance of people introducing White-Nose Syndrome.

Seasonal closures:

  • Closed April 1 - Sept. 1: the east face of the climbing formation known as Der Zerkle is closed April 1 - Sept. 1 every year.
  • Closed April 1 - Oct. 1: A buffer surrounding Mallory Cave is closed April 1 - Oct. 1 to protect Townsend’s Big-eared Bats. Instead of being part of the permanent Mallory Cave closure, the climbing routes on the east face of The Hand, the standard route on the Finger Flatiron, and all of Shark’s Fin are only closed from April 1 to Oct.1.

Closures

Learn more about New Zealand Mudsnails and how you can help stop the spread.

Inactive Closures

The closures listed below are not currently in place. You may review the maps for reference, but these areas are not currently closed.

These areas are frequent foraging locations for bears. Leash restrictions protect dogs and their guardians when there is a high probability of encountering bears, and help avoid disturbing bears while they feed during the critical pre-hibernation period.

Seasonal Leash Restrictions are in place Aug. 15 to Dec. 1.

Due to bear activity dogs must be leashed from 8-15 to 12-1 on the following trails:

Grassland Ground Nesting Bird restriction in place May 1 to July 31

The Greenbelt Plateau area is also affected by a seasonal leash restriction for grassland ground nesting birds from May 1 to July 31 every year: Both sides of the Greenbelt Plateau trail from the Community Ditch trail to the Greenbelt Plateau trailhead on Highway 128. Dogs must be on-leash on the Greenbelt Plateau trail, view map.

North Sky Trail: visitors must always remain on trail. Dogs are prohibited on the trail May 1 to July 31. Dogs are allowed on the trail Aug. 1 through April 30, but they must be leashed at all times.

Related Services