Coot Lake

Coot Lake at a glance

Coot Lake is the quiet one. It sits just north of Boulder Reservoir off 63rd Street, and the City of Boulder describes it as a scenic natural area for fishing, walking, and jogging, with a path of about 1.2 miles around the water. There's no gate, no beach scene, and no boat ramp. What you get instead is a flat lap around a wetland lake, a fishing spot, restrooms, a picnic area, and, on most days, a lot of dogs.

It's a Boulder Parks and Recreation location rather than a foothills trail, so the rules here are their own thing. Read the dog and water sections below before you go, because a couple of them surprise people.

The Coot Lake loop trail

The loop is about 1.2 miles and essentially flat, which makes it one of the gentlest walks in north Boulder. The city says the trail connects to various short trails and to the Boulder Reservoir, so you can stretch a quick lap into a longer walk. There's also an art walk along the route, displaying prints of scenes and quotes from the lake, which gives kids something to stop for. For accessibility, the city lists sidewalks and paths along with restrooms among the site's ADA features.

Dogs at Coot Lake

Dogs are allowed, but "dog-friendly" here comes with real conditions, and the old internet lore about Coot Lake being a free-for-all isn't the current rule. The city's own words: dogs are permitted off leash only if they're registered as participants in the Voice and Sight Tag Program. That's the city program that requires a free online education course, a Boulder dog license or rabies verification, and an annual tag on the collar. Without a current tag, your dog is on leash.

Where dogs can go in the water is limited too. Dogs may swim on the east and south shores only, and they aren't allowed on the west side or in any of the wetland areas. That west-side restriction lines up with the nesting closure described below, so it isn't a suggestion.

Swimming, boats, and flotation devices

Coot Lake isn't a swimming lake for people. The city doesn't designate or lifeguard a swim area here, and the only swimming its Coot Lake page describes is for dogs, on those east and south shores. Boating, belly boats, and rafts are prohibited, and the city asks visitors to respect the wetlands along the shoreline. It goes further in its reservoir rules: watercraft aren't allowed on the north shore, and anyone with a watercraft or a flotation device in that area and around Coot Lake will be issued a summons with a potential fine. If you came to swim, go to the lifeguarded swim beach at Boulder Reservoir instead.

One more water note that matters most for dogs: the city posts an algae warning for its lakes and ponds. Some blooms contain cyanobacteria, often called blue-green algae, which can produce toxins harmful to dogs and people at elevated levels. If you see algae, keep everyone out of the water.

Birds, wetlands, and the seasonal closure

A portion of Coot Lake is a wildlife reserve for wetland species, and it earns that. The city monitors osprey, American bittern, northern harrier, and burrowing owl nests at Coot Lake and on the west side of Boulder Reservoir, and because these are species of concern, those areas are closed to human use. Specifically, the area within the wooden fence that surrounds the western portion of Coot Lake is closed every year from March 15 through Sept. 10 to protect nesting osprey, northern harrier, and American bittern. The designated trails near the closure stay open, so you can still walk the loop and watch birds from it. Entering a closed area can mean a summons to court.

Parking and getting there

The city lists Coot Lake at 6247 63rd Street, Boulder, north of the Diagonal and just up the road from Boulder Reservoir. There's a lot at the entrance, and the city recently added two ADA-accessible spaces and regraded part of it to improve access, at the same time it replaced the wooden pedestrian bridge in the southeast corner of the lake. Coot Lake sits outside the reservoir's entry gate, and the city doesn't publish an entry fee for Coot Lake, so treat the reservoir's day-use fee as a separate thing that applies at the reservoir gate. The lot isn't big, so weekend mornings are the crunch.

Best time to go

Any month works, since the loop is short, flat, and open year-round. Mornings are calmest and coolest, which is what you want if your dog is going in the water. Spring and summer bring the wetland birds, and that's also when the west-side closure is active, so plan to bird from the trail. Late summer is when to be most careful about algae. In winter the crowd thins out and the loop turns into a quick, wind-swept lap with the Front Range on the horizon.

Nearby trails and guides

• Boulder Reservoir: the big lake next door, with the swim beach, paddling, and a day-use fee.
• Best dog-friendly hikes near Boulder: where else a dog can legally come along.
• Hiking with dogs in Boulder: how the Voice and Sight tag actually works.
• All hikes in Boulder: the full hiking hub, sorted by difficulty.

Coot Lake FAQ

Sources

Facts on this page are drawn from these authoritative sources:

• City of Boulder: Coot Lake
• City of Boulder: Voice and Sight Tag Program
• City of Boulder: OSMP Closures (osprey, northern harrier and American bittern closures, March 15 to Sept. 10)
• City of Boulder: Boulder Reservoir Natural Lands and Wildlife
• City of Boulder: Boulder Reservoir General Rules and FAQs
• City of Boulder: Understanding Algae and Cyanobacteria Blooms
• City of Boulder: Coot Lake bridge and parking lot improvements