Colorado State Land Board - Land Acquisitions

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Since 1973, Boulder County has been leasing property for passive recreation and natural resource protection in an area about 2.5 miles from the city limits of Boulder, Colorado, from the State Land Board of Colorado. This area is called Bald Mountain, is 130 acres with ponderosa pine forests and meadows, has a history of cattle grazing, mining and logging, with a historic cattle chute greeting visitors at the trailhead. And since 1998, Boulder County has been leasing 586 acres of land from the State Land Board of Colorado within a 5,143-acre open space area known as Heil Valley Ranch. Located north of Boulder, a few miles west of Highway 36, Heil Valley Ranch has over 19 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and equestrian activities. Boulder County was finally able to purchase both properties from the State Land Board in December of 2022. By completing these acquisitions, the county was able to remove three development rights from Bald Mountain, and 16 to possibly 32 development rights at Heil Valley Ranch.