Temperatures are currently at their most pleasant here in the Centennial State, and if you are anything like us, you are looking for the best place to hike next weekend. If this sounds like you and you long for breathtaking views as far as the eye can see, we highly recommend checking out Colorado’s incredible Royal Arch Trail:
Please note, the Royal Arch Trail is temporarily closed.
Nestled away a mere 2 miles south of Boulder, the Royal Arch Trail is a 3 1/2-mile out-and-back trail that is unlike anything else you have ever hiked.
AllTrails/Savannah Chandler
Located inside the iconic Chautauqua Park, the Royal Arch Trail features the landscape that everyone has grown to know and love about Chautauqua, including wildflowers, ample wildlife, and a mature forest landscape.
AllTrails/Steve Pilcher
Though the landscape is reason enough to hike the Royal Arch Trail, the true star of the show may be the area’s dramatic 20-foot-tall sandstone rock formation!
AllTrails/Christine Doyle
While the arch is beautiful to look at, it also holds a fascinating history, as the sandstone formation is thought to have been created during an ancestral Rocky Mountain uplift approximately 300 million years ago.
AllTrails/Yuriy Kots
Please note: Despite the hike being somewhat short, the Royal Arch Trail is billed as intermediate due to several hills and an elevation gain of 1,400 feet.
AllTrails/Sara Rosenberg
In addition to all of the above, the views from atop the Royal Arch Trail are royally breathtaking and arguably one of the best views along the Front Range.
AllTrails/Adam Karavas
The Royal Arch Trail can be accessed by taking the Chautauqua Park Trailhead to the Bluebell Road Trail and up to the Bluebell Shelter, where you will find signs for the Royal Arch Trail.
AllTrails/Lilianna Myers
Do you have a favorite place that you would like to see featured on Only in Colorado? Nominate it here! For even more of our favorite hikes with a view, check out Rim Rock Nature Trail Is A Low-Key Colorado Hike That Has An Amazing Payoff.
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Address: Royal Arch Trail, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
Nestled away a mere 2 miles south of Boulder, the Royal Arch Trail is a 3 1/2-mile out-and-back trail that is unlike anything else you have ever hiked.
AllTrails/Savannah Chandler
Located inside the iconic Chautauqua Park, the Royal Arch Trail features the landscape that everyone has grown to know and love about Chautauqua, including wildflowers, ample wildlife, and a mature forest landscape.
AllTrails/Steve Pilcher
Though the landscape is reason enough to hike the Royal Arch Trail, the true star of the show may be the area’s dramatic 20-foot-tall sandstone rock formation!
AllTrails/Christine Doyle
While the arch is beautiful to look at, it also holds a fascinating history, as the sandstone formation is thought to have been created during an ancestral Rocky Mountain uplift approximately 300 million years ago.
AllTrails/Yuriy Kots
Please note: Despite the hike being somewhat short, the Royal Arch Trail is billed as intermediate due to several hills and an elevation gain of 1,400 feet.
AllTrails/Sara Rosenberg
In addition to all of the above, the views from atop the Royal Arch Trail are royally breathtaking and arguably one of the best views along the Front Range.
AllTrails/Adam Karavas
The Royal Arch Trail can be accessed by taking the Chautauqua Park Trailhead to the Bluebell Road Trail and up to the Bluebell Shelter, where you will find signs for the Royal Arch Trail.
AllTrails/Lilianna Myers
Do you have a favorite place that you would like to see featured on Only in Colorado? Nominate it here! For even more of our favorite hikes with a view, check out Rim Rock Nature Trail Is A Low-Key Colorado Hike That Has An Amazing Payoff.
AllTrails/Savannah Chandler
AllTrails/Steve Pilcher
AllTrails/Christine Doyle
AllTrails/Yuriy Kots
AllTrails/Sara Rosenberg
AllTrails/Adam Karavas
AllTrails/Lilianna Myers
