North Boulder

North Sky Trail

The North Sky Trail is a 3.63-mile OSMP trail with 495 feet of gain that links the Foothills North Trail in north Boulder to Joder Ranch near U.S. 36, open to hikers, bikers, and horses, with dogs prohibited from May 1 through July 31.

Outdoor Boulder › Destinations › North Sky Trail

North Sky Trail quick facts

Managing agency
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP).
Distance
3.63 miles, per OSMP's published length. OSMP's own trail description rounds it to a 3.5-mile trail, so expect to see both figures.
Elevation gain
495 feet, per OSMP.
Difficulty
Hard, per OSMP. That's the rating despite the modest climb, because OSMP rates on grade and obstacles rather than total gain.
Trail width
1 to 3 feet.
Allowed uses
Hikers, bikers, equestrians, and dogs seasonally. No e-bikes are allowed on this trail.
Dog policy
Dogs are prohibited May 1 through July 31. From August 1 through April 30 dogs are allowed but must be leashed at all times. A Voice and Sight tag does not apply here.
Stay on trail
Required, always. Bell's twinpod, a rare plant that grows only in a few places in Boulder and Larimer counties and nowhere else on earth, lives along this trail. OSMP requires all users to stay on-trail so it isn't trampled.
Parking
Joder Ranch Trailhead, 7481 N Foothills Highway: just 8 standard spaces plus 2 horse-trailer spots, no restrooms, no fee, open dawn to dusk. Parking along Olde Stage Road is not allowed. Also reachable from the Foothills North Trail on the Boulder end.
Closures
This trail closes when conditions are too muddy. Check the OSMP trail map or the muddy trail closures page, or text OSMP to 888-777 for alerts.

Two rules to know before you drive out

First, dogs. OSMP prohibits dogs on the North Sky Trail from May 1 through July 31 outright. From August 1 through April 30 they're welcome but must be leashed at all times, and the City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag that lets a dog run free on much of the system doesn't apply here. If it's early summer, this is not your dog hike.

Second, stay on the trail. Bell's twinpod grows along this corridor. It's a rare plant that survives on barren shale soils where almost nothing else can grow, and it lives in only a few locations in Boulder County and Larimer County, nowhere else in the world. OSMP requires every North Sky trail user to stay on-trail at all times so those plants aren't trampled. Stepping off for a photo is the exact thing the rule exists to prevent.

What the trail connects

North Sky exists to close a gap. It links the city's Foothills North Trail in north Boulder to the Joder Ranch Trail near U.S. Highway 36 and Neva Road, which means you can now walk, ride, or bike from Boulder itself out toward Left Hand Canyon without getting on a highway shoulder. That's a genuinely useful piece of infrastructure in a county where a lot of good country is separated from town by fast roads.

The character is open grassland rather than forest: rolling ground, big sky, long views back at the Front Range. It's an unusual flavor for Boulder hiking, where most trails point straight up into the foothills.

Why "hard" for 495 feet of climbing

OSMP rates North Sky hard, which looks strange next to a 495-foot gain figure. The explanation is in how OSMP rates trails: hard means average grades over 10 percent, steep maximum grades, many obstacles, stairs expected, and longer distances from access points. North Sky's tread is a narrow 1 to 3 feet, it rolls constantly rather than climbing once, and at 3.63 miles it puts you a long way from your car. It's an honest rating for an exposed grassland trail with no bail-out options.

Bikes, e-bikes, and horses

Regular bikes are allowed, and connecting Boulder to Left Hand Canyon by bike was part of the point of building it. E-bikes are not allowed on this trail at all, which is a specific carve-out worth knowing since Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are permitted on a number of other OSMP trails, including several in the Boulder Valley Ranch area nearby. Horses are welcome, and Joder Ranch is one of the few OSMP trailheads with designated horse-trailer parking.

Parking: it's small

The Joder Ranch Trailhead at 7481 N Foothills Highway has 8 standard parking spaces. Eight. Plus two horse-trailer spots. There are no restrooms, no fee, and the trailhead is open dawn to dusk rather than the 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. that most OSMP trailheads run. Parking along Olde Stage Road is not allowed, and OSMP encourages out-and-back travel from the Highway 36 trailhead only.

The upside of a tiny lot is a quiet trail: OSMP classes Joder Ranch as very low use, under 30 visits a day. The other upside is the bus. The Y route between Boulder and Lyons stops at the Joder Ranch Trailhead itself, which makes this one of the easiest real hikes in the county to reach without a car. See our car-free trailheads guide.

Mud closures

This trail closes when conditions are too muddy, and the shale soils here turn to grease after storms and during spring melt. Check the OSMP trail map or the muddy trail closures page before you drive out, or text OSMP to 888-777 to get the alerts. Walking a closed muddy trail widens it and damages exactly the habitat this trail was routed to protect.

Best season

Late summer and fall are the sweet spot: the dog ban lifts August 1, the grassland turns gold, and the mud has usually gone. Spring is wildflower season but also mud-closure season. Summer midday is hot and shadeless out here, so go early. Winter is often perfectly walkable, and the low-angle light across the grass is worth the cold.

Nearby trails and guides

North Sky Trail FAQ

Can you bring dogs on the North Sky Trail?

Only part of the year. OSMP prohibits dogs on the North Sky Trail from May 1 through July 31. From August 1 through April 30 dogs are allowed but must be leashed at all times, and a City of Boulder Voice and Sight tag does not exempt them. If you're reading this in June or July, leave the dog at home.

How long is the North Sky Trail?

OSMP publishes 3.63 miles as the trail length, with 495 feet of elevation gain, though its own description of the trail calls it a 3.5-mile trail. It runs one way between the Foothills North Trail in north Boulder and the Joder Ranch Trail near U.S. Highway 36, so an out-and-back roughly doubles it unless you arrange a shuttle.

Why does OSMP rate the North Sky Trail as hard?

OSMP rates difficulty on average grade and obstacles, not on total climb. Hard means average grades over 10 percent, steep maximum grades, many obstacles, and stairs to be expected. North Sky only gains 495 feet overall, but it rolls, and its tread is a narrow 1 to 3 feet. It's a longer, rougher outing than the elevation number suggests.

What is Bell's twinpod and why does it matter here?

It's a rare plant that grows on barren shale soils where almost nothing else can, and it only lives in a handful of spots in Boulder County and Larimer County, nowhere else in the world. OSMP requires everyone on the North Sky Trail to stay on-trail at all times so the plants don't get trampled. This isn't a suggestion, it's the condition on which the trail is open.

Can you bike the North Sky Trail?

Yes, regular bikes are allowed, and the trail was built partly to let people ride from Boulder all the way toward Left Hand Canyon. E-bikes are not allowed on this trail, which is a specific exception worth noting since Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are permitted on several other OSMP trails.

Where do you park for the North Sky Trail?

The Joder Ranch Trailhead at 7481 N Foothills Highway, west of U.S. 36 opposite the north Neva access road. It's small: 8 standard spaces and 2 horse-trailer spots, no restrooms, no fee, and it's open dawn to dusk rather than the usual 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Parking along Olde Stage Road is not allowed. The Y bus between Boulder and Lyons stops right at the trailhead, which makes this one of the better car-free options in the county.

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.