Hiking the Anne U. White Trail

The Anne U. White Trail is a lovely 3.3-mile out-and-back trail located in North Boulder. It is a refreshing hike with a good amount of shade. The best time to visit the trail to enjoy lush green surroundings and a running stream is in spring to early summer.

This trail was heavily damaged with the 2013 flood, but re-opened in December of 2019 after 6 years of restoration work.

The Hike

The Anne U. White Trail hike is relatively easy, but still features over 400 ft of elevation gain. It is definitely a family-friendly – visitors of all ages frequent the trail.

The parking lot has space for 30 cars. The trail is popular year-round. During the peak season of spring / early summer I’d recommend getting to the trailhead by 8 am at the latest for a morning hike if you can, as the spaces fill up quickly. When I visited the trail again in autumn, the parking lot was only half full at 9:15 am, but completely full by the time I finished at 11 am.

The pictures below are from a visit to the trail in late May.

Starting Out

The trail starts out along this picturesque path through lovely pine forest –

Soon, the trail starts to feature stream crossings and patches of sunlight –

As you steadily head up the trail, you follow alongside the stream –

One of my favorite parts about this trail is the stream crossings. These are all very sturdy with large rocks, as well as photogenic.

During the spring and early summer, when the water is flowing well, you can see interesting plants growing –

Near the top of the trail there is a lovely little waterfall. This can be a nice place to stop and enjoy the scenery.

The end of the trail at 1.65 miles in is an anti-climatic open area with signs denoting private property beyond. There are some rocks you can sit on.

Views on the Way Back

The views on the way back down the trail are enjoyable in a different way.

Anne U. White Trail in Autumn

I visited the Anne U. White Trail again in autumn. From what I heard from hiker friends, the stream was mostly dried out by middle to late summer. Indeed, in September it was almost completely dried out.

However, the trail was still enjoyable, had less visitors, and featured some lovely autumn colors.

Recommended as an Easy Hike

I’d recommend this hike to anyone in the Boulder area. At 3.3 miles with just over 400 ft elevation gain, it is accessible to the whole family. The scenery is also unique for Boulder, featuring plenty of shade and a running stream in spring to early summer. Even if you don’t visit during this peak time, the amount of shade and vegetation on the trail provides for a refreshing hike through the seasons.