Southeast Boulder

Bobolink Trailhead

The Bobolink Trailhead sits at 5880 Baseline Road in southeast Boulder with 22 free parking spaces and 2 ADA spaces, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and it's the northern gateway to the South Boulder Creek Trail.

Outdoor Boulder › Destinations › Bobolink Trailhead

Bobolink Trailhead quick facts

Managing agency
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP).
Location
5880 Baseline Road, just west of the intersection of Baseline and Cherryvale roads.
Parking
22 standard parking spaces and 2 ADA spaces. No fee.
Hours
5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Usage
High, more than 200 average visits per day, per OSMP. It fills at peak times.
Restrooms
None. There are no facilities at this trailhead.
Features
One picnic table. Grills and stoves are prohibited. A dog waste station is available.
Accessibility
OSMP identifies this area as mobility-friendly, and the South Boulder Creek Trail it accesses is identified as a mobility-friendly trail.
Bus
The 225 bus stops at Cherryvale and Baseline. All OSMP trailheads have bike racks.
Trail access
The northern end of the South Boulder Creek Trail, which OSMP lists at 3.40 miles with 248 feet of gain, rated easy to medium.
Dog policy
Dogs must be on a hand-held leash unless they meet the voice and sight control standard and display a City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag. Note that dogs are not allowed at all south of the gate where the trail follows the stream south of South Boulder Road.

What you get, and what you don't

Bobolink is a simple, free, easy-to-use trailhead, and it's honest to say upfront what it lacks: there are no restrooms. OSMP lists no facilities here at all. What you do get is 22 standard parking spaces plus 2 ADA spaces, one picnic table, a dog waste station, and immediate access to a flat creekside trail. Grills and stoves are prohibited.

There's no parking fee, which is worth knowing because several of Boulder's busier trailheads now charge non-residents. This one doesn't.

Getting there and parking

The trailhead is on Baseline Road just west of the Cherryvale intersection, in the flat southeast corner of town. It's open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. OSMP classes it high use, more than 200 visits a day on average, and 22 spaces doesn't go far against that number, so weekday evenings and weekend mornings are the crunch. If it's full, the Dry Creek Trailhead is the nearest alternative.

This is also an easy trailhead to reach without driving. The 225 bus stops at Cherryvale and Baseline, and every OSMP trailhead has bike racks. More options in our car-free trailheads guide.

The trail from here

Bobolink accesses the northern end of the South Boulder Creek Trail, which OSMP lists at 3.40 miles with 248 feet of gain, rated easy to medium. It meanders along the stream corridor with self-guided interpretive displays in the section just south of the trailhead, and it passes under South Boulder Road through an underpass so you never have to cross traffic. OSMP identifies it as a mobility-friendly trail, which combined with the ADA parking here makes this one of the more genuinely accessible outings in Boulder.

It's a flat, green, creekside walk rather than a mountain hike, and the Flatirons sit right there on the western skyline the whole way. For a lot of people, that's exactly the right amount of outdoors on a weekday evening.

The bike rules, which are genuinely confusing

Three segments, three answers, so it's worth reading once properly. Bikes are allowed on the paved South Boulder Creek Trail path between Bobolink Trailhead and the East Boulder Community Center. Bikes are also allowed on the soft-surface trail south of the bridge that leads to South Boulder Road. Bikes are not allowed on the unpaved pedestrian section that parallels the creek through the trees between Baseline Road and the East Boulder Community Center. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes follow the same rules. The general OSMP principle applies: ride only where you see the international bicycle symbol posted.

Dogs

Dogs must be on a hand-held leash unless they meet the voice and sight control standard and display a City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag. There's one more rule that catches people: dogs are not allowed at all south of the gate where the trail follows the stream south of South Boulder Road. Watch for the sign rather than finding out from a ranger. Picking up after your dog is required by law, and there's a station at the trailhead to make that easy.

The birds this place is named for

Bobolinks are ground-nesting grassland birds, and OSMP asks visitors to stay on the trail because they and other ground-nesting birds live in the field east of the trail from mid-May through the summer. Staying on the path is what lets them display and nest without being flushed off the nest repeatedly.

If you come on a May or June morning, watch for the males doing their song-flight over the grass. It's a genuinely good piece of birding for a trailhead you can reach on a city bus. White-tailed and mule deer are common here, and red-tailed hawks, foxes, and coyotes turn up regularly.

Best time to come

Spring and early summer for the birds and the green. Fall for cottonwood color along the creek. Summer middays are hot and there's limited shade in the open stretches, so mornings and evenings are better. In winter this low, flat trail is often one of the few things in Boulder that's completely walkable.

Nearby trails and guides

Bobolink Trailhead FAQ

Where is the Bobolink Trailhead and is there parking?

It's at 5880 Baseline Road, just west of the Baseline and Cherryvale intersection in southeast Boulder. There are 22 standard parking spaces and 2 ADA spaces, and there's no parking fee. OSMP rates it high use, more than 200 visits a day, so it does fill at peak times. The 225 bus stops at Cherryvale and Baseline if you'd rather not drive.

Are there bathrooms at the Bobolink Trailhead?

No. OSMP lists no facilities at this trailhead. There's one picnic table and a dog waste station, and that's it. Grills and stoves are prohibited. Plan accordingly, especially if you're bringing kids.

What trail does the Bobolink Trailhead access?

The northern end of the South Boulder Creek Trail, which OSMP publishes at 3.40 miles with 248 feet of elevation gain, rated easy to medium. The section just south of the trailhead has self-guided interpretive displays, and the trail runs under South Boulder Road through an underpass.

Can you bike from the Bobolink Trailhead?

On some segments, not all, and the distinction matters. Bikes are allowed on the paved South Boulder Creek Trail path between Bobolink Trailhead and the East Boulder Community Center, and on the soft-surface trail south of the bridge that leads to South Boulder Road. Bikes are not allowed on the unpaved pedestrian section that parallels the creek through the trees between Baseline Road and the East Boulder Community Center. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes follow the same allowances.

Are dogs allowed at Bobolink?

Yes, with two rules. Dogs must be on a hand-held leash unless they meet the voice and sight control standard and display a City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag. And dogs are not allowed at all south of the gate where the trail follows the stream south of South Boulder Road, so check the signs before you continue that direction. A dog station at the trailhead helps with cleanup, which is required by law.

What are the bobolinks and when can you see them?

Bobolinks are ground-nesting grassland birds, and the trailhead is named for them. OSMP says bobolinks and other ground-nesting birds live in the field east of the trail from mid-May through the summer, and asks visitors to stay on the trail so the birds can display and nest undisturbed. Male bobolinks sing in flight over the grass, which is the thing to watch for on a spring morning. White-tailed and mule deer are common here too, along with red-tailed hawks, foxes, and coyotes.

Sources

Facts on this page are drawn from these authoritative sources:

Last checked . We verify trail facts against the managing agency, and we say so when a figure isn't published.