Boulder Falls will stay closed to visitors for the foreseeable future, the city announced recently, and a trail down to the falls is likely gone forever.
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Boulder Falls, closed to the public since a November 2024 rockslide damaged the access trail, will remain inaccessible to visitors until a viewing platform can be built.
BOULDER — Boulder Falls will stay closed to visitors for the foreseeable future, the city announced recently, and a trail down to the falls is likely gone forever.
The Falls have been closed to visitors since 2024 after a rockslide damaged the trail. Similar events have closed Boulder Falls numerous times over the years.
Boulder’s Open Space Board of Trustees (OSBT) in August first raised the possibility that the trail might not reopen, according to Boulder Reporting Lab.
“We cannot put the trail back in its previous alignment,” a City staff member was quoted telling OSBT in the September story. “Visitation at Boulder Falls will look different than what the public has grown used to.”
The City undertook a safety analysis to determine a plan to reopen the area. The analysis revealed the trail has a “very high risk of future rockfall hazards, including the potential for future large-scale events that could result in serious injury or fatalities,” according to a recent City press release.
Rather than rebuilding and reopening the trail, Boulder instead plans to build a viewing platform for public access.
“The high cost and difficulty of maintaining safety features on the existing trail caused the city to explore a safe option for visitors to access the falls moving forward,” the release stated.
Design options will be studied in 2026, which should give a clearer view of the cost of construction, and how long it will take. Boulder Falls will remain closed until the platform is built.
Located 11 miles west of Boulder up Boulder Canyon, Boulder Falls was gifted to the City in 1914. A nearby parking area and ease of access—the walk to the falls is a scant 0.10 miles—make the falls and surrounding hills a popular spot for tourists and climbers.
“We are excited to get visitors back to Boulder Falls as soon as possible since it is so important to our community,” Open Space and Mountain Parks director Dan Burk said in the release. “This option will really be the best of both worlds to protect visitor safety while enjoying this unique resource responsibly.”
