Background
On Sunday, June 27th, 2021, I decided to hike Bear Peak in Boulder, Colorado from Chautauqua Park. I started from Denver, walking to Union Station then taking the FF1 to the Broadway & Euclid Ave stop. It's $5.25 for a 3-hour regional bus ride, so to and from is $10.50 on 2 separate passes purchasable from the RTD app (which accepts Apple Pay). From here it was about 20 minutes of walking to Chautauqua Park. I worked my way to Mesa Trail and then to Fern Canyon Trail, which lead to the summit of Bear Peak. It took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to reach the summit from the start of the trailhead and slightly less time to get back to beginning. I started later in the day (at trailhead at 1:24PM) and it rained and hailed on the way down.
When departing, I walked to the Boulder Bus Station which is located at 1800 14th St, Boulder, CO 80302. It's 30 or so minutes from Chautauqua Park. The benefit of going to the station is that it's protected from the rain and in the downtown area, in case anything else is needed.
Parts of the trail I went on are closed Monday to Saturday due to a nature restoration project and also some construction. I wasn't aware of this beforehand but luckily I went on Sunday and was unaffected. If you do plan to do this hike, know which sections of the trail you plan to be on and which days. Not following the rules on the sign can result in a fine of $1,000 or 90-days in jail!
Overall, I think Bear Peak is a good day hike in Boulder. It can be completed in under 5 hours. Most people do not start the hike from Chautauqua Park but this was most accessible for me being on foot from the bus stop. It's important to have rain gear if the forecast shows the possibility of rain. Having ample water (2+ liters) is also important. The first section of the hike on Mesa Trail would be a class 1, parts of Fern Canyon Trail would be a class 2 and the very last, short section, would be class 3.
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