Fall takes on an exciting tenor in Boulder, as CU students return, Mother Nature dazzles us with autumn's palette, and the chefs of America's Foodiest Town find delicious inspiration in the season's bounty.
• Bike-to-Breweries Trail: The bike-to-breweries route takes you through some of the loveliest and leafiest sections of the Boulder Creek Path. You'll head east, with the opportunity to visit several Boulder breweries, and admire fall foothills vistas along the way. As you pedal back into town on the Goose Creek Path, you’ll encounter tall grasses and maybe a duck or goose or two peeking out to say "hi."
• Peak-to-Peak Byway: For a scenic fall drive from Boulder, take Canyon Blvd. west to hit Hwy. 72, which is part of the Peak-to-Peak Scenic and Historic Byway and one of the best places in Colorado to see vast swaths of golden aspen against a mountain backdrop. If you take Hwy. 72 north from Nederland and continue north on Hwy. 7, there are plenty of places to explore along the way, such as charming Allenspark, picturesque St. Malo Chapel, and Estes Park, a tourist destination in itself and a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Then loop back down to Boulder via Hwy. 36 through the charming town of Lyons.
• Mapleton Hill: One of Boulder’s most historic and beautiful neighborhoods bursts with fall color each year, as its signature maple trees turn scarlet red. Stroll Mapleton Avenue between Broadway and 4th Streets to admire the Victorian architecture and old-growth trees.
• Farm-to-Table: Oh, how Boulder’s chefs adore harvest season! Taste the bounty at farm-to-table restaurants all around town. A few ideas: Roasted beets at the GMO-free Salt. The signature tomato soup at The Kitchen. Cafe Aion’s seasonally flavored paella. Oak at Fourtheenth’s kale and shaved apple salad. Stuffed squash, root vegetable tagine or anything Chef Skokan pulls from his farm’s fields and serves at Black Cat or Bramble and Hare.
• Beer: Many of Boulder’s breweries introduce autumn-inspired beers this time of year. Take Upslope Brewing Company’s seasonal pumpkin ale — the result of a collaboration with Boulder’s own Munson Farms, which offered the brewery their organic baby bear pumpkins. (You can watch a charming video about the beer here.)
• Farmers’ Market: The Boulder Farmers Market runs through November 18, 2017, and is absolutely dazzling in the fall. Admire baskets overflowing with apples, bundles of bright chrysanthemums, and piles of every kind of gourd you can imagine. And stop by the outdoor “food court” for warm tamales, steamed dumplings or stone-fired pizza.
• Chocolate: Cooler autumn days call for rich chocolate treats, and Piece, Love and Chocolate has a lot of fun experimenting with pumpkin, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. Try their pumpkin-chocolate cheesecake, pumpkin-dipped chocolate cannoli or pumpkin-chocolate-chip fudge.
• Tea: Go on a tour at Celestial Seasonings, the largest manufacturer of specialty teas in North America, to see the behind-the-scenes operations and sample seasonal favorites such as Caramel Apple Dream and Sweet Harvest Pumpkin. Plus there are plenty more ways to taste tea in Boulder — this town is obsessed with tea!
