Peak to Peak Highway

Ward, Colorado

Ward is a small mining town at about 9,450 feet on the Peak to Peak Highway northwest of Boulder, and for most visitors it's the junction you turn at for Brainard Lake and the Indian Peaks rather than a destination in itself.

Outdoor Boulder › Destinations › Ward, Colorado

Ward, Colorado quick facts

What it is
A small mountain town in Boulder County on the Peak to Peak Highway (Colorado Highway 72), and the turn for Brainard Lake and the Indian Peaks.
Elevation
About 9,450 feet, which is roughly 4,000 feet above Boulder.
Population
128 at the 2020 census, down from 150 in 2010. People live here year round; it is a working town, not an attraction.
Getting there
Two ways from Boulder. Up Left Hand Canyon, which tops out at Ward, or the longer scenic route up Boulder Canyon to Nederland and north on the Peak to Peak Highway. Roughly 45 minutes either way in good conditions.
Why you'd stop
It's the last thing resembling services before Brainard Lake. The Forest Service's own directions to Brainard Lake Recreation Area start from Highway 72 at Ward.
Services
Minimal, and seasonal. Do not plan on fuel, groceries, or a guaranteed open cafe. Fill up and stock up in Boulder or Nederland.
History
A gold and silver mining town founded in 1860 after the strike at nearby Gold Hill, incorporated in 1896. The Switzerland Trail railroad reached it in 1898, and a fire destroyed much of the town in 1901.
Winter
Serious. At 9,450 feet on a north-facing mountainside, Ward gets snow when Boulder gets rain, and Left Hand Canyon can be icy long after town is clear.

Why Ward matters if you're heading outdoors

Ward is the turn. The Forest Service's own directions to Brainard Lake Recreation Area begin from Colorado Highway 72 at Ward, heading west on Brainard Lake Road for 2.5 miles to the Gateway Trailhead and another two miles to the lake. If you're going to Lake Isabelle, Long Lake, Mitchell Lake, or over Pawnee Pass, you're going through Ward.

It also sits on the Peak to Peak Highway, the road that connects Nederland, Ward, and Estes Park along the Front Range, which makes it a natural stop on one of the best drives in Colorado.

Getting there from Boulder

Two routes, and they're genuinely different experiences.

Up Left Hand Canyon is the direct way: north out of Boulder, then west up Left Hand Canyon Drive, which climbs steadily for a long way and finishes at Ward. It's the fast option and a well-known road cycling climb.

Up Boulder Canyon through Nederland, then north on the Peak to Peak, takes longer and is the better drive by some margin, with the Divide on your left most of the way. If you have the time and it's your first trip, take this one.

Either way it's roughly 45 minutes in good conditions. In winter, that "good conditions" clause is doing real work: Left Hand Canyon holds ice long after Boulder is dry, and Ward gets snow when town gets rain.

What's actually there

Not much, and that's the honest answer. Ward is a residential mountain town of about 128 people at the 2020 census. There's no commercial strip, no visitor centre, and no reliable guarantee that anything is open when you arrive. Services are minimal and seasonal.

The practical consequence: fuel up and buy your food in Boulder or Nederland. This matters more than it sounds, because there are no services whatsoever at Brainard Lake, and the drive back down is not short if you've misjudged it.

It isn't a ghost town

A lot of travel writing files Ward under "Colorado ghost towns", and it isn't one. People live there year round, in the houses, next to the old vehicles and weathered buildings that show up in everyone's photographs. Those are private property, not exhibits.

So the etiquette is simple: stay on the public road, don't walk into yards or through gates, and don't photograph people's homes. It costs you nothing and it's the difference between visitors being tolerated and resented in a town that sees a lot of traffic heading for the lake.

The history, briefly

Ward is one of the oldest mining settlements in the county. Gold was found here in 1860, right after the strike at nearby Gold Hill, and the Columbia mine was located in 1861. It became one of the wealthier towns in Colorado during the gold rush, incorporated in 1896, and the narrow-gauge railroad now known as the Switzerland Trail reached it in 1898, hauling ore and people between Boulder and the camps.

Fire destroyed a large part of the town in 1901. The mines carried it a while longer, but Ward was largely deserted by the 1920s, and it was the construction of the Peak to Peak Highway in the 1930s that brought people back. That sequence, boom, fire, emptying out, then the road, is why the town looks the way it does today.

Winter up here

At 9,450 feet on a mountainside, Ward's winter is a different season from Boulder's. Snow arrives earlier and stays far longer, Left Hand Canyon can be genuinely icy, and the Brainard gate closes to vehicles for the winter, leaving the Gateway Trailhead as the parking for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. If you're heading up between November and April, check conditions before you commit, and carry more warm layers than the forecast in town suggests.

Nearby guides

Ward, Colorado FAQ

Where is Ward, Colorado?

On the Peak to Peak Highway, Colorado Highway 72, in the mountains northwest of Boulder at about 9,450 feet. It sits at the top of Left Hand Canyon, roughly 45 minutes from Boulder in good conditions. It's the junction you turn at for Brainard Lake: the Forest Service's directions to the recreation area begin from Highway 72 at Ward, then 2.5 miles west on Brainard Lake Road to the Gateway Trailhead.

How do you drive to Ward from Boulder?

Two routes. Left Hand Canyon is the direct one: north out of Boulder to Lee Hill Drive or Highway 36, then west up Left Hand Canyon Drive, which climbs steadily and ends at Ward. The scenic alternative goes up Boulder Canyon to Nederland and then north on the Peak to Peak Highway, which takes longer and is a considerably better drive. In winter, check conditions before choosing: Left Hand Canyon holds ice.

Is there anything to do in Ward?

Honestly, not in the way that question usually means. Ward is a small residential town of about 128 people, not a visitor attraction, and there's no strip of shops or museum to walk around. What it is, is the gateway: the turn for Brainard Lake, Indian Peaks, and the Peak to Peak Highway. Treat it as the junction on the way to something rather than the destination, and respect that people live there.

Is there gas or food in Ward?

Don't count on either. Services are minimal and can be seasonal or closed without notice, which is normal for a town this size at this elevation. Fill the tank and buy food in Boulder or Nederland before you head up. This matters more than it sounds if you're driving to Brainard Lake, where there are no services at all.

What's the history of Ward?

It's a mining town. Gold was found here in 1860 in the wake of the strike at nearby Gold Hill, and Ward became one of the richer towns in the state during the Colorado gold rush, with the Columbia mine located in 1861. It incorporated in 1896, the Switzerland Trail railroad reached it in 1898, and a fire in 1901 destroyed a large part of it. The mines faded and the town was largely deserted by the 1920s; building the Peak to Peak Highway in the 1930s brought it back.

Is Ward a ghost town?

No, and it's worth saying clearly because a lot of travel content calls it one. About 128 people live in Ward year round, per the 2020 census. Old buildings and old vehicles around town are on private property, not open-air exhibits. Stay on the public road, don't wander into yards, and don't photograph people's homes.

Sources

Directions and recreation-area detail come from the Forest Service. Population is the 2020 decennial census. The mining history is drawn from published local histories of the Ward mining district and is summarised rather than verified document by document.

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