The Mesa Trail runs 6.7 miles along Boulder's Flatirons and foothills, connecting Chautauqua Park (north) with Eldorado Canyon Road (south). This popular trail offers diverse terrain, multiple trail connections, 4-season utility and abundant wildlife.

Sunflowers are related to daisies, and are among the most widely distributed flower families

Periodic, low intensity fires are crucial to a healthy ponderosa-grassland ecosystem; naturally occurring fires clear space for mature trees, keep densities in check and rejuvenate soils

Black bears are most active along the Mesa mid-August - October, feeding 18+ hours a day on chokecherries, rosehips, plums and apples

Colorado's Front Range spans three distinct ecosystems with overlapping areas that support a wide range of plants in a relatively small space

Bear Peak (8,461') is a 12.7 mile roundtrip hike from Chautauqua Park via the Mesa Trail

Though seldom displayed in these drier habitats, coyotes are actually very capable swimmers

Rose hip, the fruit of rose plants found all along the Mesa corridor, contains vitamin A, D and E, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids

Native grasses can still be found across the Front Range, including bluestem, switchgrass, king spike fescue, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, blue grama and buffalograss

Red foxes average 18 - 24 pounds and measure 30 - 50" from head to tail

Chokecherries, a ubiquitous plant along the Mesa, are in the rose family - the rose family also includes apple, peach, plum, apricot, nectarines and almonds

The Big Bluestem Trail is a favorite foraging area for bears; seasonal leash restrictions are in place to minimize disturbances during the critical pre-hibernaiton feeding period

The Ancestral Rockies formed around 300 million years ago when tectonic activity thrust 2 great mountain ranges in central and western Colorado up, exposing deeply buried Precambrian rock high above the surface

Mule deer can detect (and dig for) water up to 2' below ground, a vital attribute in their oft-arid habitat

Bull snakes are common in this area; they can reach over 7' long and hiss loudly when disturbed

Beehive cactus are among the first plants to bloom each year on sunny, dry slopes of the Mesa Trail

The Flatirons are part of the Fountain Formation which was created during a period of tectonic activity and geologic uplift

Mule deer have exceptional smell, up to 1000 x stronger than humans

Inland seas returned at the start of the Cretaceous period (140M years ago), beginning a cycle of advances and retreats over the next 100 million years

Chokecherries earned their common name for the bitter, astringent taste; still, the berries are highly nutritious and were consumed numerous ways by Native Americans

Spring flowers near the South Mesa Trailhead

A black bear crosses the foothills near the south Mesa area

Boulder's Flatirons rock formations in Chautauqua Park