Eagle Trail
The Eagle Trail is a wide, easy 3.2-mile trail through the grasslands of Boulder Valley Ranch, gaining 449 feet, and it's one of the few trails near town that welcomes off-leash dogs with a Voice and Sight tag, bikes, e-bikes, and horses all at once.
Outdoor Boulder › Destinations › Eagle Trail
Eagle Trail quick facts
- Managing agency
- City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP).
- Distance
- 3.20 miles, per OSMP. It works as an out-and-back, or pair it with the Sage Trail to make a loop.
- Elevation gain
- 449 feet, per OSMP.
- Difficulty
- Easy/Medium, per OSMP, meaning a mix of easy and medium segments.
- Trail width
- 6 feet or more. Wide enough to walk two abreast and let a bike by.
- Accessibility
- OSMP identifies the Boulder Valley Ranch area as mobility-friendly: tread 36 inches or wider, firm and stable surfaces, grades that don't exceed 20 percent and generally run under 12 percent.
- Allowed uses
- Hikers, dogs, bikers, and horses. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on the Eagle Trail.
- 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. OSMP specifically describes this trail as providing access for folks with off-leash dogs.
- Parking
- Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead, 3900 Longhorn Road: 14 standard spaces and 1 ADA space, restrooms on site, no fee, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. OSMP rates it medium use, 70 to 200 visits a day. The access road is dirt.
- Closures
- The western part of the Eagle Trail closes when conditions are too muddy. Check the OSMP trail map or the muddy trail closures page first.
The trail that says yes to almost everyone
Boulder trails tend to come with a list of what you can't do. Eagle is the opposite. It's open to hikers, dogs, bikes, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, and horses. It's 6 feet or wider, so all of those actually fit. It's rated easy to medium with 449 feet of gain across 3.2 miles. The area is identified as mobility-friendly. And OSMP explicitly describes it as providing access for folks with off-leash dogs, meaning dogs with a City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag can run.
If you have a mixed group, a dog that needs to move, a kid on a bike, or a visiting parent who wants scenery without a climb, this is the answer.
What it's like out there
This is not foothills hiking. Boulder Valley Ranch is open, rolling shortgrass prairie north of town, and the pleasure of it is space and sky rather than shade and rock. OSMP calls Eagle a mellow trail, which is right. You look back at the whole Front Range skyline, the Flatirons included, from an angle most visitors never see because they're standing under them instead.
Wildlife is the other reason to come. OSMP lists an abundance of raptors here: eagles, northern harriers, and red-tailed hawks, hunting over prairie dog colonies. Mule deer and coyotes are frequently sighted. It's one of the best easy birding walks in the county.
Make it a loop with Sage
OSMP's own suggestion is to use Eagle as an out-and-back or pair it with the Sage Trail for a longer loop, and the loop is the better outing. Bikes are allowed on Eagle, Sage, North Rim, Cobalt, and Left Hand, which means the Boulder Valley Ranch network is one of the few places on OSMP land where you can string together a real ride rather than a single trail.
Dogs: the Voice and Sight rule, plainly
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. That tag is a real registration you get from the city, not a vibe. If your dog has one and genuinely comes when called, Eagle is close to ideal: wide, open, long sightlines. If your dog doesn't have one, it's a leash trail. There's a dog station at the trailhead, and picking up after your dog is required by law. One honest caution: this is prairie dog and rattlesnake country, and an off-leash dog that bolts after something is the most common way a good day here goes wrong.
Parking and getting there
The Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead is at 3900 Longhorn Road. From Boulder, go one mile north on Highway 36, then one mile east on Longhorn Road, which is dirt. The turnoff is signed for Boulder Valley Ranch Open Space, and the lot is on the south side of the road. There are 14 standard spaces and 1 ADA space, restrooms at the trailhead, and no fee. Open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. OSMP rates it medium use, 70 to 200 visits a day, so it's busier than Joder Ranch and far calmer than Chautauqua. Horse-trailer parking is possible but there are no designated spaces for it.
Mud, heat, and the shale
Two things to plan around. The western part of the Eagle Trail closes when conditions are too muddy, so check the OSMP trail map or the muddy trail closures page after any storm or during spring melt. And there's no shade out here at all: on a July afternoon this is a hot, exposed walk. Early morning and evening are much better, and they're also when the raptors are working.
Boulder Valley Ranch also holds a fragile plant community on black shale barren soils, including Bell's twinpod, a very rare plant unique to Front Range shale. That's a good reason to keep the whole group, dogs included, on the trail.
Nearby trails and guides
- Boulder Valley Ranch: the full area guide and the rest of the trail network.
- North Sky Trail: the longer grassland connector heading north.
- Coot Lake: an easy water walk just west of here.
- Best dog-friendly hikes near Boulder: more places your dog can run.
- Wildlife safety in Boulder: rattlesnakes, coyotes, and what to actually do.
Eagle Trail FAQ
Can dogs be off leash on the Eagle Trail?
Yes, if they're registered. 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. OSMP's own description of the Eagle Trail calls out that it provides access for folks with off-leash dogs, which makes it one of the better dog outings close to town. Without the tag, it's leash.
How long is the Eagle Trail at Boulder Valley Ranch?
OSMP publishes 3.20 miles with 449 feet of elevation gain, rated easy to medium. Most people either walk or ride it out and back, or link it with the Sage Trail to make a loop rather than retracing.
Can you bike the Eagle Trail?
Yes. Bikes are allowed on the Eagle Trail along with Sage, North Rim, Cobalt, and Left Hand in the Boulder Valley Ranch area. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are also allowed on Eagle, which is not true everywhere on OSMP land. The trail is 6 feet or wider, so sharing it with walkers and horses actually works.
Is the Eagle Trail wheelchair or stroller friendly?
The area is identified by OSMP as mobility-friendly, which means visitors can expect trail tread 36 inches or greater, firm and stable surfaces usually of road base or crusher fines with some small irregularities, and grades that don't exceed 20 percent and generally stay under 12 percent. It's a natural surface trail, not a paved path, so conditions vary with weather.
Where do you park for the Eagle Trail?
The Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead at 3900 Longhorn Road: one mile north of Boulder on Highway 36, then one mile east on Longhorn Road, which is dirt. The turn is signed for Boulder Valley Ranch Open Space and the lot is on the south side of the road. It has 14 standard spaces and 1 ADA space, restrooms, and no fee, open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Are there rattlesnakes on the Eagle Trail?
OSMP lists rattlesnakes and bull snakes among the many snakes found in the Boulder Valley Ranch area, along with eagles, northern harriers, red-tailed hawks, mule deer, coyotes, and prairie dogs. Stay on the wide trail, keep dogs where you can see them, and look before stepping off into grass. Our wildlife safety guide covers what to do if you meet one.
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.