Chautauqua

If you can get a rental Cottage right along the Bluebell Canyon Trail then you basically have the Flatirons in your backyard. Get up early hike up to the Royal Arch and back before the others are hardly stirring. It don't get no better than that.

My wife and I have stayed at Chautauqua a number of times over the past 10 years, while visiting family in Boulder during the summer. I'm not sure if the cabins are available for rent in the winter. The facility is made up of a number of historic summer cabins located in a park on edge of Boulder along the base of the mountains rising up behind the park. The cabins are modernized to a degree, but they are still cabins - don't expect luxury. The basics are there - bathrooms, kitchens with pots, plates, silverware - but nothing fancy and no television or telephones. Electric fans are provided in place of air conditioning. As with any older cabin there may be minor problems, a door that sticks or a lamp that doesn't work. Maintenance staff are responsive if you identify any problems. There is also a small, older apartment building with rooms for rent.

The cabins are laid out on a grid of streets, with many of the cabins privately owned. The rental cabins include efficiency, one-bedroom and two-bedroom cabins as well as some larger buildings that could be used for large groups or family reunions. There is a laundry available as well as a tennis court a children's playground, some picnic tables and barbecues, and a large grassy park area.

Unique Quality: The Boulder Chautauqua was originally started in the late 1800s as a summer retreat for teachers from Texas and Kansas offering cultural and educational programs, and its history is described in a book that is available in each cottage. The setting is lovely with views down towards the city of Boulder and the plains, and up towards the "flatirons" - rock outcrops in the nearby mountains. Chautauqua Park also includes a dining hall and a round, barn-like auditorium, the site of the Colorado Music Festival and various pop and folk music concerts during the summer. Other events take place weekly in the Community House building - music, talks, etc. There is also a ranger station associated with the park, and there are occasional guided nature hikes. It's a relaxing place to stay, a good place for sitting on the porch and reading a book or hiking the nearby trails in Boulder's mountain parks. We like staying there for the relaxing and friendly atmosphere as well as for the convenient location.