When you’re traveling through Colorado on a quest to find the state’s best hiking trails, plan a stop In Lafayette. Just 20 minutes from Boulder, this city provides easy access to several paved and natural paths that you can walk, run, hike or bike along. If you want to tour around Lafayette trail systems provide beautiful mountain vistas and wildlife sightings, there are some great folding electric bikes at Wisper Bikes that you could use for this.

Waneka Park Trail

Image via Flickr by UnkownNet Photography

Get your Lafayette hiking tour off to an easy start along the Waneka Park Trail. Take a few laps around the 1.2-mile Waneka Lake Loop. Follow the crushed gravel path around the man-made Waneka Lake inside Waneka Park. The loop offers visitors scenic views of the Rocky Mountains. Bring the little ones to enjoy the playground. Comforts like restrooms and drinking fountains are nearby, too.

You’ll find these amenities at the boathouse at the start of the loop. You’re welcome to run, walk, or ride bikes for trail riding around the lake and see local wildlife and birds. Pump up your workout at the 10 fitness stations you’ll find along the trail. Your leashed pets are welcome on the trail, too.

Coal Creek/Rock Creek Regional Trail System

For a longer hike, head to Coal Creek Trail. Take Route 7 from the center of Lafayette to the Flagg Park trailhead. From there you can travel the 14-mile unpaved path along Coal Creek with views of the Indian Peaks mountain range and open spaces filled with soft prairie grass. Coal Creek Trail connects to Rock Creek Trail, which allows you to extend your day of hiking another 12 miles. 

Rock Creek Trail branches off to the south of Coal Creek trail and winds through Louisville and Superior. It will take a few days to explore the different hiking trails in Lafayette. Book a room to get a good night’s rest between your hiking adventures.

Rothman Open Space

Enjoy three miles of biking, hiking, or cross-country skiing along the trails in the Rothman Open Space park. You won’t want to miss the breathtaking views of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains along the unpaved paths. If you’re a geocaching enthusiast, pack your GPS to hunt of caches along the trail. 

Feel free to bring your dogs since you can access the Great Bark Dog Park from the Rothman Open Space. The dog park and the recreation center offer parking and restrooms. You’ll find Rothman Park nestled between Arapahoe Road and Route 7, also called Baseline Road.

Harney-Lastoka Trail

Home to the Kerr Community Garden, the Harney-Lastoka Trail offers a little over a mile of soft- and hard-surface trails. You don’t need a green thumb to appreciate over 40 gardens that are maintained by individuals who rent plots of land along the trail. You can go walking, biking and horseback riding along the path here. You can also extend your hike through the connection to the Coal Creek trail.

Spend a few days of your next hiking adventure in Lafayette. Walk or ride your bike along several miles of trails and enjoy the mountain views.