Button Rock Preserve Trail
For those of you who live in & around the Front Range of Colorado, there’s a wonderful trail called Button Rock Preserve just above Lyons, CO. My partner & I have lived in the area for 25 & 30 years respectively, and surprisingly just “discovered” it this past weekend. To get there, pop through the cuter than cute 2 block downtown of Lyons, and head west up Route 36 for about 4 miles until you get to Longmont Dam Rd. on your left. Wind up the well groomed Longmont Dam dirt road until you come to the end where the quite busy parking lot is located at the trailhead. Take note before you go: while weekdays can be less busy, weekends are packed to the gills, so I recommend getting there by 8:30am at the latest to get a parking spot (the earlier the better to beat the crowds AND the heat of the summer).
For the dog-must-be-leashed-friendly hike, the sunny maintenance road trail winds up along the North St. Vrain Creek almost the whole way. It takes you through the front spillway and eventually to the Ralph Price Reservoir where folks sit along the water to enjoy the lovely views. At the reservoir, you can either add some miles by taking the less travelled one way & back North Shore Trail, or head back to the parking lot towards Button Rock Dam heading south where you can pick up the equally breathtaking wooded singletrack called Sleepy Lion Trail. Taking this way back you’ll pass the amazing gushing water flows from the control house located at the bottom of the dam. This trail conveniently loops around to the main maintenance road back to the parking lot, and is nothing short of specatacular with soaring views above the reservoir framed against Mt. Meeker & Longs Peak. The loop up to the reservoir and around through Sleepy Lion took us about 3 hours total (without the North Shore Trail section) at casual pace and stopping to take some the photos seen here. Here’s the All Trails Topo Map of the Button Rock Preserve & Sleepy Lion Trail loop with all the info you need.
On your way back, Lyons has a number of great little shops to peruse. And try stopping in to the wonderful St. Vrain Market for a super delicious sandwich made on their selection freshly baked breads, or grab a craft beer at the original home of the famous Oskar Blues Brewery.
