Directions:

From Hwy 93 south of Boulder, head west on Eldorado Springs Drive for 1.7 miles to the Dowdy Draw Trailhead on the left. A fee is required to park here if your car is not registered in Boulder.

Hike Description:

The Spring Brook Loop in the southern section of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks is a wonderful hike that tours the top of a flat bench nestled up against Eldorado Mountain. The mesa is filled with pine forest and has incredible views of the Flatirons, Bear Peak, South Boulder Peak, and Eldorado Canyon. 

The Spring Brook Loop is accessed by hiking 1 ½ miles on the Dowdy Draw Trail which is a popular route as it provides access to the Community Ditch Trail and the Flatirons Vista Loop in addition to the Spring Brook Loop.  Along the way to the Spring Brook Loop, Dowdy Draw passes by a nice little picnic area and restroom at 0.4 miles and a footbridge with waterfall at the half mile mark. Great views of the Boulder foothills follow you on the entirety of this hike.  

The scenery is taken up a notch when you begin the Spring Brook Loop. I recommend hiking his loop counterclockwise by turning right at the start of the loop.  The northern half of the loop has amazing views down to Boulder and up to the foothills peaks, not to mention Eldorado Mountain and Canyon. The trail follows the rim of the bench for a while before cutting across the flat area and entering the pine forest. 

I love this part of the hike, there is something special about hiking through the pine forest while being so close to the plains.  The trail cuts through the forest to the south, then turns east and back north where you pick up the rim of the bench again and complete the loop. When you are finished with the loop, retrace your steps along the Dowdy Draw Trail 1 ½ miles back to the trailhead.   

For a longer and even more scenic hike, add the Goshawk Loop to the Spring Brook Loop.  This option adds 3 miles to the hike but Goshawk Ridge is one of the best hikes in the area, in my humble opinion…