Walking Tour of Boulder Ditches

Here is an opportunity to tour several ditches

Digging Boulder: A Tour of the Ditches that Helped Develop the City

Do you dig Boulder? You are invited to join us on the city’s newest Joy of Walking mapped-and-guided event. Tour the ditches through and around downtown Boulder to learn how each spring, our more than 150-year-old ditch system brings water to our city’s plants and animals.

  • Date: Saturday, May 3rd
  • Time: 9 AM – noon
  • Park/meet: Justice Center parking lot at Canyon Blvd and 6th Street
    • Parking is free on Saturdays.
    • BCycle station is next to the lot. HOP bus route stops nearby on 9th Street.
    • Meet in the lot’s southwest corner at the Boulder Creek Path.
  • Distance: 3.5 miles
  • Accessibility: Not wheelchair friendly in two places, but there are alternative paths. Reply with questions.
  • Terrain: Multi-use paths, sidewalks, and a Viewpoint Trail segment along Anderson Ditch
  • Elevation gain: 230 feet
  • Footwear: Walking shoes or boots (sandals not recommended).

Meet some of the ditch officers of Boulder’s extensive ditch network. We will view six ditches, visit five of headgates, and discuss the importance of ditch headgates: when and why they are opened, what those large horizontal wheels are and what they do, and the role of the dedicated ditch riders who operate them. 

For participant estimates, registration is requested. Visit the links below for details.

If unable to join us, the loop is available at https://bouldercolorado.gov/boulderwalks to walk at your convenience. For various themed walks, there are descriptions, walking maps, and turn-by-turn directions on the Boulder Walks Program page.

Please forward this invite to those who may be interested.
Come on out and Walk to Connect.
We need one another at this time.
Email or text with questions. Let me know if you’d like to be removed from the Joy of Walking reminders.

Thanks much,
~ Jane Ireland
305-731-3287