Trail Description

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The Button Rock Trail spans a broad valley connecting the Button Rock Preserve with Hall Ranch. No trailhead provides immediate access: you must either hike Button Rock Preserve’s Sleepy Lion Loop Trail (from the west), or Hall Ranch’s Nighthawk Trail or Bitterbrush-Nelson Loop Trails (from the east) to reach it. The former is a shorter but rather mundane route, while the latter options are longer but exceptionally attractive.

Complete descriptions for each are provided in the related trail links above. To hike these routes in full you’ll travel 8.7 and 13.4 miles roundtrip, respectively.

No matter how you arrive, the Button Rock Trail’s liberating space and terrific views are worth the visit. The undisturbed corridor through which it passes is home to deer, fox, coyote, turkey, mountain lion and numerous raptor species. Closed to horse and bike travel it sees light use, even during peak summer months. Early arrivers stand a good chance of seeing the area’s abundant wildlife in motion, and having this tranquil area to themselves.

From either access point, the Button Rock Trail drops into the narrowing valley and skirts its forested southern wall. Hikers should be cognizant of a nearby service road that – for approximately .8 miles - merges with and becomes the trail. Signposts mark these convergence points clearly (.35 miles from the western terminus :: .85 miles from the eastern terminus). The trail nadirs at 6,485’ on a hairpin turn in the service road (.9 miles from the top of Hall Ranch :: 1.1 miles from the Sleepy Lion Trail connection).

Travel east of this point passes through open space in the central valley, offering the trail’s best views across it and of the Continental Divide. Most prominent are Mt Meeker (13,911’), Longs Peak (14,259’) and the Twin Sisters (11,428’ and 11,413’). A handful of rocky outcroppings on the valley’s fringe are ideal places to minimize your profile, look for wildlife and enjoy the great expanse in front of you.

Travel west of the valley-low weaves through thicker forest, though frequently with good looks to the north and east. Some easy maneuvering from the Sleepy Lion Trail junction yields terrific views across Ralph Price Reservoir.

Worth Noting

• The Sleepy Lion - Button Rock Trail junction (6,625') is located 1.7 miles from the Button Rock Preserve Trailhead (west access).



• The Nighthawk Trail - Button Rock Trail junction (6,703') is located 4.7 miles from the Hall Ranch Trailhead (east access).



• GPS points above reflect west-east travel.



• This is a lightly used trail, with strong wildlife viewing potential.



• The Button Rock Preserve and Ralph Price Reservoir are known for their diverse avian populations, which include Golden Eagle, Pigmy Owl, Osprey, Bald Eagle and Herons.

Directions to Trailhead

Beginning from Hall Ranch in Lyons, Colorado:

From Boulder, take Highway 36 14 miles north to the Highway 66 junction in Lyons. Turn left. Highway 66 will dead end at a "T" intersection on the west side of Lyons. Take a left on Highway 7 towards Allenspark. Hall Ranch is located 1.4 miles on the northeast (right) side of Highway 7.

Beginning from the Button Rock Preserve:

The trailhead is located at the end of County Road 80 just northwest of Lyons, Colorado. From Lyons, take US 36 west 4 miles to County Road 80. Turn Left on County Road 80 for 2.8 miles to the dead end at the Button Rock Preserve parking lot. The trail begins just beyond the security gate on the service road.

Contact Information

Boulder County Parks & Open Space
5201 St. Vrain Road
Longmont, Colorado 80503
Phone: 303.678.6200
Fax: 303.678.6180
www.co.boulder.co.us/openspace