About 180 people live in this farming community at the base of Boulder Mountain. Ranchers began drifting in during the late 1870s, although not with the intent that they’d form a town. By the mid-1890s, Boulder had established itself as a ranching and dairy center.

Remote and hemmed in by canyons and mountains, Boulder remained one of the last communities in the country to rely on pack trains for transportation. Motor vehicles couldn’t drive in until the 1930s. Today Boulder is worth a visit to see an excavated Anasazi village and the spectacular scenery along the way.

Take paved Hwy. 12, either through the canyon and slickrock country from Escalante or over the Aquarius Plateau from Torrey (near Capitol Reef National Park). Burr Trail Road connects Boulder with Capitol Reef National Park’s southern district via Waterpocket Fold and Circle Cliffs. A fourth way in is from Escalante on the dirt Hell’s Backbone Road , which comes out three miles west of Boulder at Hwy. 12.