Boulder and Beyond

From their Boulder location up against the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Naropa students can easily follow their passions for the outdoors.

Hiking

Boulder caters to casual and serious hikers alike. Among the first and most popular hikes for those new to Boulder are Green Mountain and hiking up to the Flatirons in Chautauqua Park. These hikes aren’t too difficult and are a great introduction to a network of trails of varying levels of difficulty in the area.

New students may also participate in Naropa’s customary pre-orientation wilderness retreat, an introduction to enjoying the outdoors in Colorado. Even those who’ve never camped or hiked will enjoy backpacking, learning, community building and reflection guided by two Naropa staff and a current student.

Climbing

Local climbers enjoy an extensive community and plenty of resources for indoor and outdoor climbing in the Boulder area. As with any outdoor sport, a good way to get connected with the climbing network is to go to one of Boulder’s local climbing gear stores and talk to the dedicated and passionate people working there.

Snow

You can carpool or take a bus to Colorado’s world-class skiing and snowboarding terrain. Multi-resort season ski passes come in a few different flavors, so coordinating with friends and classmates is a must if you’re looking to complete the weekly pilgrimage to the mountains observed by so many Coloradoans. If you need more info, ColoradoSki.com will get you started.

For those looking for winter sport of a less-downhill variety, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing don’t necessarily require the dreaded I-70 trek. If you want to stay closer in, hit the totally adequate trails in the area surrounding Boulder. If you want better snow, into the mountains you go! Search GetBoulder.com for “cross-country” to find preliminary information.