Boulder Falls

Experience this quick stop right off of Boulder Canyon Drive. Boulder Falls is a short and easy walk to a small but mighty waterfall. Bring a picnic and enjoy sitting on the cool rocks while watching water crash down the falls. There is no trailhead for Boulder Falls, but there is a parking area across Highway 119/Boulder Canyon Drive from the falls.

Boulder Falls is located 11 miles west of Boulder, on the north side of Boulder Canyon Drive (SR 119) between Boulder and Nederland. It consists of five acres of mining claims that were given to the City of Boulder by Charles G. Buckingham, president and co-founder of Buckingham Brothers Bank (now Norwest Bank). Buckingham had held a U.S. Patent since 1881 on the American Mill site that included the Falls. He donated it to the City of Boulder for recreational purposes in 1914, hence "saving this beautiful spot from the encroachment of the great tungsten boom."

For many years, Boulder Falls – sometimes referred to as the "Yosemite of Boulder Canyon" – was the popular destination for picnic groups. Carryalls brought visitors up for a visit to the Falls, especially after the narrow gauge railroad washed out in the great flood of 1894. When the railroad was rebuilt four years later, stage and tourist travel was diverted, and the popularity of Boulder Falls declined.