Dog-Friendly Hikes near Boulder, CO
Boulder is the one place on the Front Range where a trained dog can legally hike off leash, if you have the tag and read the trailhead sign.
City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks runs on the Voice & Sight tag. Without one, every dog is leashed; with one, it can be off leash on segments marked for it, and either way it is leashed at the trailhead. Chautauqua requires a leash east of the 6th Street Connector and allows Voice & Sight beyond; Mount Sanitas is leash-only south of the Sanitas Spur, and the adjoining Lion's Lair is closed to dogs. Marshall Mesa and Doudy Draw allow tag or leash throughout. Boulder County's Betasso Preserve is leash-only with no tag equivalent, and Eldorado Canyon is a state park with the six-foot rule.
Lots are small. Chautauqua's 48 spaces are full by 8 a.m. on summer weekends, Centennial's 31 spaces go before 7 a.m., and Marshall Mesa and Doudy Draw charge non-county vehicles to park. Eldorado Canyon needs a free timed-entry reservation on weekends and holidays May 1 to October 1.
Bear-season leashes apply August 15 to December 1 on Gregory Canyon, Saddle Rock, Amphitheater, Bluebell-Baird, Skunk Canyon and upper Doudy Draw; Dry Creek is closed through November 2026. No dogs on Goshawk Ridge, Towhee, Long Canyon or Spring Brook Loop South.
- Chautauqua Trail and Royal ArchBoulderVoice & Sight tag or leash · 0.7 mi
- Mount Sanitas & Sanitas Valley LoopBoulderVoice & Sight tag or leash (no dogs on Lion's Lair) · 3.5 mi
- Marshall Mesa LoopBoulderVoice & Sight tag or leash · 2.7 mi
- Doudy Draw to Flatirons VistaBoulderVoice & Sight tag or leash; seasonal leash Aug. 15–Dec. 1 · 2.2 mi
- Betasso Preserve Canyon LoopBoulderLeash required · 3.3 mi
- Rattlesnake Gulch Loop – Eldorado Canyon State ParkBoulderLeash required · 3.6 mi
Leash rules come from each land manager's published regulations on the date shown on the trail page. Rules change seasonally; check before you go.
Hiking with dogs near Boulder: FAQ
Do visitors need a Voice & Sight tag to hike off leash in Boulder?
Yes. Any dog off leash on an OSMP trail must display a current Voice & Sight tag, which requires a free online course and a registration fee ($13 for city residents, $75 for out-of-county owners). Tags expire December 31. Without one, the dog stays on a hand-held leash on every trail.
Which Boulder trails do not allow dogs at all?
The OSMP trail table lists Lion's Lair, Goshawk Ridge, Towhee, Long Canyon, Hogback Ridge, Spring Brook Loop South, Sombrero Marsh, May's Point, Boy Scout, McClintock Upper and Greenbriar Connector as no-dog trails, with partial bans on E.M. Greenman and South Boulder Creek. North Sky is closed to dogs May 1 to July 31.
When do Boulder trails go leash-only for bears?
From August 15 to December 1, dogs must be leashed on Gregory Canyon, Saddle Rock, Amphitheater, the Bluebell-Baird segment between Ski Jump and Amphitheater, Skunk Canyon, Shadow Canyon South and upper Doudy Draw south of Community Ditch, regardless of whether the dog wears a Voice & Sight tag.