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Byway

Destinations · Colorado

Boulder

CO · 40.0159, -105.2792

Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway and Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road are signed byways within 30 miles of Boulder, Colorado.

Understand

These days, Boulder wears several hats: as a university town, home of the University of Colorado Boulder and others; as a hi-tech town that is rapidly spawning bedroom communities in outlying farm towns; and as a center of alternate culture, with various new age institutions, Naropa University, meditation centers, Buddhist centers, and the like.
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Day-trip loops

Planned by the Byway engine on real roads: every stop traces to an OpenStreetMap feature, and the total time counts driving and the stops themselves.

Loop 1 · 4 h window · 70 mi

3 h 32 loop · 5 stops · back by 1:31 PM.

  1. Boeing B-52B · 10 min
  2. I See What You Mean · 30 min
  3. Indeterminate Line · 30 min
  4. Wildlife Viewing · 15 min
  5. Davidson Mesa Overlook · 15 min

Loop 2 · 8 h window · 173 mi

7 h 44 loop · 7 stops · back by 5:44 PM. Incorporates Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road.

  1. Celestial Seasonings Tour · 10 min
  2. Blue Arena · 10 min
  3. Glacier Knobs (East) · 15 min
  4. Dream Lake Overlook · 15 min
  5. Cross · 30 min
  6. Joel Estes Monument · 30 min
  7. Hearts on a swing · 30 min

Touches Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road, Cache la Poudre--North Park

Common questions

How long is a scenic day-trip loop from Boulder?

Byway's engine bakes two loops from Boulder: 4 h, 70 miles, 5 stops; and 8 h, 173 miles, 7 stops. The time counts the driving and the stops themselves.

What is there to stop at on a day trip from Boulder?

The 8 h loop stops at Celestial Seasonings Tour, Blue Arena, Glacier Knobs (East), Dream Lake Overlook, Cross, Joel Estes Monument and Hearts on a swing. Each stop traces to an OpenStreetMap feature.

Within reach

Measured from Byway's own registries, 30 miles around town.

Scenic byways

National parks

Public land

Campgrounds

Lookouts

Named places

A day out of Boulder, planned on real roads

The engine starts from town, weaves the byways and verified stops around it, and hands back an honest schedule — zero hallucinations.

Plan a day trip from Boulder →Colorado in the Atlas
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Take the scenic way to Boulder.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

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More day-trip bases nearby