Sitting at the base of the purple Rocky Mountains with the dramatic flatirons jutting above, the city of Boulder is breathtakingly scenic and invites the most committed couch potato to get outside and be active. While the city’s 30,000 acres of open space, and hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking, and jogging, are a big attraction, there is plenty to see, do, and eat in this busy college town.

Though Boulder’s reputation as a home to eco-minded, rock-climbing vegetarians is not totally inaccurate, there is much more going on here with impressive regional-fare restaurants, a hip art scene, and nationally significant scientific research organizations.

Getting to Boulder

Boulder is an easy 30-mile highway drive west from Denver. The most common route is to take Highway 36 from I-25, and a handful of exits will point out how to get to the CU campus or other locales. Another route is to take I-70 to Highway 6 to Golden and then north on Highway 93 to Boulder, where the highway turns into Broadway. While this is a more scenic drive closer to the foothills (not much development this close to the old Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility), the road is not safe during high winds.

The RTD has bus service several times a day from downtown Denver to downtown Boulder (www.rtd-denver.com for schedules and fares). It’s possible to ride the bus into Boulder and enjoy much of what the city has to offer without a car.

There is also the Boulder Transit Center (14th and Walnut Sts., 303/229-6000), where many buses originate. Look for the affordable around-town buses and their silly names like “Leap,” “Hop,” “Skip,” “Dash,” and so on.

Bike paths along Boulder Creek and designated bike lanes on most city streets make it easy to navigate Boulder on two wheels.