Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead: A North Boulder Hiking Guide

The Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead is one of the easiest ways into north Boulder's foothills, and a lot of people who live nearby have never used it. It sits at 420 Lee Hill Road, just west of Broadway, with a paved lot, 40 parking spaces, and quick access to Wonderland Lake, the Foothills Trail, and the steeper Hogback Ridge loop. From this one lot you can stroll a flat mile around a lake with the Front Range at your back, or climb a few hundred feet to a ridgeline view. This guide covers how to find the trailhead, what you can hike from it, the parking and dog rules, and what to pack.

Before you head out, a few cheap items make any foothills walk better: comfortable hiking shoes for the dirt path, a reusable water bottle because Boulder is high and dry, and a pair of compact binoculars if you want to watch the herons and waterfowl at the lake.

What You'll Learn

• Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead Quick Facts
• Where Is the Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead?
• Trails You Can Hike From the Trailhead
• Wonderland Lake Loop: The Flat Family Walk
• Hogback Ridge Trail: The Climb With the View
• Parking, Hours, and Facilities
• Dogs, Bikes, and Horses: The Trail Rules
• Wildlife You Might See
• Best Time to Hike
• What to Bring
• Frequently Asked Questions

Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead Quick Facts

Here's the shape of a visit before we get into details:

• Location: 420 Lee Hill Road, north Boulder, Colorado
• Managed by: Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP)
• Elevation: roughly 5,400 feet at the lot
• Parking: 36 standard spaces plus 4 ADA spaces, paved
• Hours: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
• Cost: free, no permit or entrance fee
• Facilities: no restrooms, no picnic tables, dog waste station on site
• Best for: an easy lake loop, birdwatching, dog walks, and a short ridge climb

The trailhead is a neighborhood gateway rather than a destination parking area, so it stays quieter than the big-name spots like Chautauqua. If you want a foothills walk without the crowds and the parking hassle, this is a good pick.

Where Is the Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead?

The trailhead sits on the north edge of Boulder, where the city street grid runs up against the foothills. From Broadway (Highway 7), turn west onto Lee Hill Road. The lot is on the left, about 0.3 mile up, so if you reach the switchbacks climbing into the mountains you've gone too far. Google Maps and Apple Maps both list it as the Fourmile Canyon Creek Trailhead, and some signs shorten it to Four Mile Creek.

Getting here is simple. From central Boulder it's a five-minute drive, and from Denver you're looking at about 45 minutes up US-36. Because it's tucked into a residential area, the lot fills faster than its size suggests on weekend mornings, and the surrounding streets have permit parking, so plan to arrive early or come on a weekday. If you're touring the area, this trailhead pairs well with the other hikes near Boulder on the north side of town.

Trails You Can Hike From the Trailhead

The spine of the trail network here is the Foothills Trail, which runs both north and south along the base of the mountains. Head south and you drop toward the Wonderland Lake area, passing the short Old Kiln Trail, a connector named for a historic lime kiln that once operated nearby. Head north and the Foothills Trail links up with the Hogback Ridge Trail, which climbs the tilted sandstone ridge above the neighborhood.

That gives you two very different hikes from the same lot:

• Wonderland Lake loop for a flat, easy walk around the water. Good for kids, strollers, and dog owners.
• Hogback Ridge loop for a real climb with a payoff view. Steeper, no dogs allowed, better shoes recommended.

You can also just walk the Foothills Trail out and back for as long as you like, turning around whenever you're ready. It's a forgiving system for building a hike to fit your day.

Wonderland Lake Loop: The Flat Family Walk

Wonderland Lake is a small reservoir tucked against the foothills, and the loop around it is the reason most people park here. It runs roughly two miles with almost no elevation change, and the path is smooth enough for running shoes or a jogging stroller. On a clear morning the foothills reflect off the water, and the lake sits low enough that the whole Front Range fills the western skyline.

The loop is a favorite for birdwatchers. Great blue herons stalk the shallows, ducks and geese work the open water, and red-winged blackbirds call from the cattails in spring. A prairie dog colony spreads across the grassland on the east side, which means hawks overhead too. Bring compact binoculars if you're into it, and keep dogs close so they don't chase the wildlife.

Because it's so flat and close to town, this loop works year-round and makes a solid first hike if you're still getting used to the elevation. For more short, low-effort options around the county, our roundup of the best hikes near Boulder has a dozen more.

Hogback Ridge Trail: The Climb With the View

If you want your heart rate up, follow the Foothills Trail north to the Hogback Ridge Trail. The loop is about 2.6 miles with somewhere around 700 feet of gain, and it climbs the Dakota Hogback, the long fin of tilted rock that runs along the front of the range. It's a steady grind rather than a scramble, but the footing gets rocky and loose in spots, so wear real hiking boots instead of flat sneakers.

The reward is the view. From the top of the loop you look east across Boulder and the plains, and west into the higher foothills toward the Indian Peaks. It's an underrated sunset spot when the light hits the sandstone. A pair of trekking poles helps on the descent if your knees complain on loose rock.

One rule to know before you go: dogs are not allowed on the Hogback Ridge Trail. The ridge is protected wildlife habitat, so leave the dog at home or stick to the lake loop if you've brought one along.

Parking, Hours, and Facilities

The lot holds 36 standard spaces and 4 ADA-accessible spaces, and it was repaved and updated in recent years, so it's in good shape with bike racks near the entrance. The trailhead is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, which covers early starts and evening sunset walks alike.

Keep your expectations simple on facilities. There are no restrooms and no picnic tables here, so take care of that before you drive up. There is a dog waste station, which tells you how popular this spot is with dog walkers. OSMP rates it as medium use, roughly 70 to 200 visits a day, so it's busier than a hidden trail but far calmer than the marquee trailheads. On summer weekends, arrive before 9 a.m. or expect to circle for a spot, and don't park on the neighboring streets without checking the permit signs.