Starting Memorial Day weekend, May 27, 2023, you can take several free weekend shuttles to popular trailheads.
Chautauqua Park
The city’s free shuttle will pick people up at New Vista High School, the CU Regent lot, and several downtown parking garages (which are all free on weekends) and drop them off at Chautauqua. It will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. (The shuttle will not stop at New Vista High School on May 27 due to Boulder Valley School District graduation, the city said.)
The city has said dogs, bikes and strollers are allowed on the shuttle. Here’s a map of its route.
Chautauqua is the City of Boulder’s most popular open space area, with more than a thousand people visiting it on any given day during the summer months, according to data from Boulder’s Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP). About 73% of visitors arrive there by vehicle, a recent city staff memo said. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, parking revenue has increased and shuttle ridership has declined.
Eldorado Springs
Boulder County will restart its free shuttle from the CU Regent lot to Eldorado Canyon State Park, stopping at many points along the way, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Here is a map of the route.
Indian Peaks
Boulder County will also begin running its free shuttle from Nederland High School to the Hessie Trailhead, a very popular access point to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It will operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (and until 8 p.m. on Saturdays). Hours may vary on holidays. The county said RTD’s NB bus from downtown Boulder to Nederland High School will be free when the shuttle is operating.