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A landscape of rolling grasslands and sandstone buttes at Hall Ranch provides excellent viewing opportunities for wildflowers, animals, and scenic vistas.
Hall Ranch
Trails
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Bitterbrush Trail
3.7 miles – Difficult
Horses permitted but not recommended
-
Nighthawk Trail
4.7 miles – Moderate/Difficult
-
Nelson Loop
2.2 miles – Moderate/Difficult
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Antelope Trail
1.0 miles – Moderate
-
2.0 miles – Moderate
Rules & Regulations
Day Use Only
No Pets Allowed
Bikes On Designated Trails Only
No Open Fires
No Hunting/Firearms
No Camping
Hall Ranch Trailhead
64 car parking spots across 2 lots
2 ADA van accessible parking spots
Restroom near trailhead
Several picnic tables located near parking lots
50 person group shelter located near trailhead
3 horse trailer parking spots
Antelope Trailhead
8 car parking spots
Keep in Mind
- Dogs are not allowed due to wildlife concerns.
- Some areas are closed to the public to protect critical wildlife habitat.
- Some old dirt roads exist on the property – please stay on designated trails.
- Equestrian use is not recommended on the Bitterbrush Trail due to inadequate footing on exposed rocks. Please use the Nighthawk Trail.
Prescribed Burn Closures
Prescribed burns will be conducted when conditions allow.
- Burn window set for Jan. 15 – April 15. Burns can occur any time during the window.
- Park will be closed during ignition days and will reopen when deemed safe.
Learn more about Prescribed Burns.
Along Colorado’s Front Range the sweeping grasslands of the Great Plains rise to meet the rugged peaks of the southern Rocky Mountains. Where they meet we find the Foothills—a zone of geological and biological transition. Foothills ecosystems, such as the one that makes up the 3,899 acres of Hall Ranch, are made up of varied landforms such as cliffs, canyons, hills, and meadows. Plant communities ranging from grasslands to shrublands to forests provide a variety of habitats for a diversity of animals.
Mammals
- Black bear
- Black-tailed prairie dog
- Chickaree
- Coyote
- Deer mouse
- Little brown bat
- Meadow vole
- Mountain (Nuttall’s) cottontail
- Mountain lion
- Mule deer
- Red fox
- Rock squirrel
Birds
- American crow
- American kestrel
- American robin
- Black-billed magpie
- Black-capped chickadee
- Blue grosbeak
- Broad-tailed hummingbird
- Brown-headed cowbird
- Canyon wren
- Chickadee
- Chipping sparrow
- Common nighthawk
- Common raven
- Downy woodpecker
- Golden eagle
- Green-tailed towee
- Hairy woodpecker
- Mountain bluebird
- Mountain chickadee
- McGillivray’s warbler
- Northern flicker
- Prairie falcon
- Pygmy nuthatch
- Red-tailed hawk
- Rufous-sided (spotted) towee
- Solitary vireo
- Steller’s jay
- Turkey vulture
- Townsend’s solitaire
- Violet-green swallow
- Virginia’s warbler
- Western bluebird
- Western meadowlark
- Western wood-pewee
- White-breasted nuthatch
- Yellow warbler – nesting
- Yellow-rumpled warbler
- Yellow-breasted chat
Reptiles
- Bullsnake
- Prairie rattlesnake
White Wildflowers
- Catchfly (silene noctiflora)
- Daisy fleabane (Erigeron spp)
- Marbleseed (Onosmodium molle)
- Mouse ear chickweed Cerastium spp)
- Prickly poppy (Argemone polyanthemos)
- Rough white aster (Virgulus falcatus)
- Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)
Yellow Wildflowers
- Cinquefoil (Drymocallis spp, Potentilla spp)
- Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
- Evening primrose (Oenothera villosa)
- Goldenrod (Solidago spp)
- Golden banner (Thermopsis divaricarpa)
- Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)
- Hairy false golden aster (Heterotheca villosa)
- Little sunflower (Helianthus pumilus)
- Prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
- Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae)
- Sulphur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum)
- Winged buckwheat (Pterogonum aliatum)
Green Wildflowers
- Fringed silver sage (Artemisia frigida)
- Prairie sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
Orange & Red Wildflowers
- Prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha)
Purple & Blue Wildflowers
- Beebalm or horsemint (Monarda fistulosa)
- Blue flax (Adenolinum lewisii)
- Common harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
- Fleabane (Erigeron sp)
- Gayfeather (Liatris punctuta)
- One-sided penstemon (Penstemon secundiflorus)
Shrubs
- Arkansas rose
- Common juniper
- Mountain mahogany
- Rabbitbrush
- Wild rose
- Wild tarragon
- Yucca
Trees
- Cottonwood
- Douglas fir
- Ponderosa pine
- Rocky Mountain juniper
At Hall Ranch, dramatic tilted rock formations show where the Great Plains meet the Southern Rocky Mountains. Along the Bitterbrush Trail are spectacular views of Hat Rock and Indian Lookout Mountain. These massive ridges expose the Fountain, Lyons, and Ingleside Formations.
The Lyons Formation, a salmon-colored rock, can be seen in buildings on the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus. The western section of the property is dominated by formations created 1.3 to 1.7 billion years ago when magma far below the earth’s surface cooled and solidified before being subjected to the forces of pressure, uplift, erosion, and burial. The most recent period of mountain building began approximately nine million years ago. Since then, erosion has been the geologic force sculpting the landscape.
From Mountainside to University
A quarry can be seen along Hall Ranch’s eastern side. Stones from here were used in many of the University of Colorado Boulder’s buildings, giving it its signature flagstone look.
Hall Ranch as Home
Originally, the property that is now Hall Ranch was home to Arapaho and Cheyenne Indian tribes. In the 19th and 20th centuries, more than 20 different Anglo families homesteaded here. From the mid 1940s to 1993, Hallyn and June Hall owned and operated the ranch.
Historic Buildings
The Nelson House, located along the Nelson Loop Trail, is the remnants of an old homestead from the early 20th century.
Acquisition
In 1993 and 1994, Boulder County Parks and Open space acquired Hall Ranch.