Shadow Canyon, Boulder
From Astertiki, your guide to being outside
Shadow Canyon, Boulder
| type : | hiking |
|---|---|
| state : | colorado |
| city : | boulder |
| country : | united-states |
| difficulty : | strenuous |
Adventure Tag Name
Shadow Canyon is a very steep, deep canyon with really nice views of the back of Devils Thumb and the ridge it lies on. The hike up the canyon is one of the toughest hikes in all of Boulder. When you reach the top, there is a ridge trail that can be taken to either [[south-boulder-peak-boulder]] or Bear Peak.
Summary
| Distance: | 1.0 miles one way |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous (very) |
| Hike Time: | 1 to 1:30 hours one way |
| Elevation: | 6611 to 8063 |
| USGS Maps: | Eldorado Spring |
| Directions from Boulder: | To find the South Trailhead of the Mesa Trail take Highway 93 (Broadway) south from Boulder and turn right on Eldorado Springs Drive. The trailhead is 1.7 miles from this intersection on the right side of the road. From there hike one of the three trails west, [[towhee-trail-boulder]], [[homestead-trail-boulder]], [[mesa-trail-boulder]] to the trail head. |
Details
Shadow Canyon is a very hard climb, it raises about 1400 feet in 1.0 mile. The climb up is starts in a deep, narrow canyon and goes straight up. Toward the top, the trail is a little less steep and eventually there are a few switch backs. At the start of the climb, the is a lot of shade and as you get toward the top there is more sun. At the top of the climb, the Shadow Canyon trail intersects with a ridge trail that goes between South Boulder Peak and Bear Peak.
Shadow Canyon is one of the prime trails leading South Boulder Peak. Once you get to the ridge trail, there is still another 0.4 mile hike taking you to the top of South Boulder Peak at 8550. In other words, you still have 500 more vertical feet to go. Getting to the trailhead is a bit of a hike. Take the [[towhee-trail-boulder]] from the South Trailhead of the Mesa Trail, it's a more direct route, and usually less people hike it. The parking also fills up quickly.
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