Mallory Cave Trail – NCAR Mesa Trail

I absolutely loved the views and trail at NCAR. It’s a pretty easy hike that allows you to soak in the beautiful views of Boulder. We didn’t make it to the cave to see the bats but we did thoroughly enjoy the hike all the same.
It was a bit muddy the day we went so I look forward to going again soon when the snow has totally melted. I appreciated that the trail was labeled very well, so that you won’t get lost. We also noticed that it connects to Chautauqua park and felt like that would be very fun. The trail would be good for either running or walking. My friends and I love to spend quite a bit of time hiking and this is a new favorite. We will be back soon to enjoy this beautiful little hike.

If you want to do a little climbing, go to a cave and see where some bats live then check it out. The hike from NCAR doesn’t take too long, a couple hours round trip depending on how fast you go. Once you start the the Mallory Cave Trail it is pretty rocky. The trail is well labeled which I like, and winds steadily uphill into the mountain towards the cave. I didn’t find too many cool lookout points of the city though.
Unfortunately the cave is currently gated to protect the bats from White Noise Syndrome, it is a disease potentially carried by humans so they have the cave gated for a while. I went last weekend and the sign said the cave would be closed until at least Oct. 1^st so expect it to be a while.
There is a little climb to get up to the top of the cave. I’m not a climber so I thought it was scary but the coolest part. Sorry Sasha V. I would have driven you crazy. Coming down was really scary. There’s a ridge toward the bottom that is slick and doesn’t have good places to grab onto or land your feet. If you’re a climber or interested in trying you should check it out.

went after the bats stopped mating and climbed the last part of the hike. It is not too difficult of a rock climb– no gear required. Watch out for somewhat clumsy tourists though. The culmination, the cave, wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped, but definately worth going to.