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Project Overview

City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) plans to conduct improvements at the Chapman Drive Trailhead, including:

  • A new pedestrian bridge. The project will enhance safety for bicyclists, hikers, and equestrians as well as adaptive users by providing a compliant, separate bridge for multiuse path users, away from vehicle traffic. Designed to meet accessibility design standards, the bridge will also support long-term recreational improvements envisioned by the State of Colorado, Boulder County, and the City of Boulder.
  • Improved accessibility for community members experiencing disabilities and mobility issues. Accessibility will be improved for community members with disabilities and mobility challenges. Planned trailhead enhancements include upgraded accessible parking spaces and gently graded paths that connect to key amenities. The new bridge will further expand access, enabling more individuals, including those using adaptive bicycles—to cross Boulder Creek and reach the Boulder Canyon Trail safely.
  • Improved trailhead amenities. Trailhead work will increase the number of bike racks, as part of broader OSMP work to improve multi-modal access at city open space trailheads. Additionally, the department will add an accessible picnic table and install a bike-fixing station with tools and a pump. 
  • Improved horse trailer parking. Currently, no horse trailer parking exists at the Chapman Drive Trailhead, limiting access to area for equestrians. Improved trailer parking will help equestrian users to enjoy the unique experience on the Chapman Drive Trail and help OSMP fulfill guidance in the West Trail Study Area Plan. That plan directed staff to provide improved equestrian access in the Flagstaff Mountain area.

Chapman Drive Trailhead work is the culmination of a multi-year collaborative effort by Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Boulder County and the City of Boulder to improve recreational experiences in Boulder Canyon. Earlier work by CDOT extended the Boulder Canyon Trail to Chapman Drive added two new bike-friendly tunnels under the Highway 119 in Boulder Canyon – including a new underpass near the Chapman Drive Trailhead.

Trail Access 

The Chapman Trailhead and Bridge project is nearing completion. The underpass is now open, allowing visitors to pass between the Boulder Canyon Trail and Chapman Drive Trail. The trailhead is closed, but visitors can access the Chapman Drive Trail.

Planning for Chapman Drive Trailhead Improvements

Improvements for the Chapman Trailhead were identified in the West Trail Study Area Plan developed in 2011. Since then, a new trail bridge to meet multi-use path standards along Highway 119 in Boulder Canyon has been included in the Chapman Trailhead project to provide a trail experience fully separated from vehicles – not unlike the current multi-use path project along Highway 119 from Boulder to Longmont.

The new bridge to connect Boulder Canyon Trail to the Chapman Drive Trailhead is the final phase of the nearly decade-long transportation and recreational improvement project in Boulder Canyon. Ideas to improve transportation and recreational access came after the 2013 floods and led CDOT, Boulder County and the City of Boulder to collaborate on plans to connect the Boulder County Trail, managed by Boulder County, to the Chapman Drive Trailhead. View the county’s project page, including design plans from 2017.

This current project was jointly funded between the City and Boulder County through an intergovernmental agreement, developed many years ago, to implement the project that was planned and designed with community involvement, led by Boulder County. You can view the County’s webpage including the design plans for the bridge from 2016.

The new bridge is required to support a compliant and separated multiuse path for all users such as equestrians, cyclists, hikers, runners, families with children, seniors, and adaptive cyclists or those needing accommodation due to limited mobility. When the City’s Capital Improvement Program prioritized and funded the construction of the Chapman Trailhead last year, city and county staff coordinated to include the bridge into the trailhead construction project as a cost-effective opportunity and to minimize visitor impacts over a longer time horizon by having only one construction project instead of two separate projects at the site. The trailhead and bridge are jointly funded with Boulder County.

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