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Observatory
Nederland,
Colorado
(Boulder County)
Last Updated:
06/25/2023
Trail Information
Highlights
Situated on the west side of Colorado Highway 119 between the quaint little towns of Nederland and Rollinsville is a small network of hiking, mountain biking and 4x4 trails known as West Magnolia. Like much of the Colorado Front Range, the area is rich in mining history and abundant in scenic beauty. These easy-to-moderate four-wheel drive roads can provide a quick outing or be strung together to make a whole day or more of fun in the woods. Camping is available in designated sites. Its proximity to the Denver area and ease of access make it popular for day trips or short weekend jaunts. Observatory is the main spine through the northern portion of this network. It is often combined with West Magnolia Road and Rollinsville to make a nice route to the town of Rollinsville.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
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Bill Andrews
Official Crew
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Trail Reviews
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/03/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Easy trail to gain access to camping. A couple of fun spots.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 08/27/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Ran this today in a 100% stock Outback Wilderness. One larger pool that was over a foot deep that I drove around fine and otherwise easy going. The climb at the end required some good line choice and a bit of throttle to let X-mode figure it out. Certainly more difficult in this than in the Xterra I had up here a few years ago. No scrapes or rubs though, but not sure anything with much less ground clearance would make it without rubs/scrapes. Also not sure how any 2WD would make it up that without a lot of momentum and risk. I'd give the trail a 2 rating up until the last climb which is closer to a 3, due to inconsistent traction.
Open
Rated
2/5
Visited: 07/16/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Mostly easy access road for campers, bikers and hikers. There are a couple moderate spots.
Open
Visited: 06/25/2023
Trail should be open now
Open
Visited: 08/05/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Ran this after Rollinsville. Overall a very easy trail but the very last part of observatory (heading uphill to Rollinsville) is about 20% off-camber and should be driven with caution by inexperienced drivers.
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