Revised from the original posting on Jan 22, 2013 by Ann Hayes
The White Rocks Trail is a segment of the East Boulder Trail System which stretches six scenic miles from the Teller Farm South trailhead off Arapahoe, to its northern terminus at the East Boulder Trail—Gunbarrel Farm trailhead in the heart of the Heatherwood neighborhood. The bridge crossing that was knocked out from the flood on the Valmont section of the trail, near the JK boarding facility, has recently been resurfaced and is now open.
One can access the trail system from three points, the furthest South trail access is at the Teller South trailhead (outhouse location here). One would then then ride north where the trail follows the course of the Cottonwood Ditch through open fields—where, in summer, hay is grown and cattle graze. You then will cross Valmont Road near the Teller North trailhead (small parking lot location here). The trail skirts a glassy lagoon (reclaimed gravel pit), crosses Boulder Creek, and ascends to the White Rocks plateau, an elevation gain of about 800 feet. Here the landscape morphs to open prairie grasslands that stretch as far as the eye can see. The north access point for this trail is at the East Boulder Trail — Gunbarrel Farm trailhead in the Heatherwood neighborhood. Trailers often park along the road here.
As a courtesy to the neighbors, please clean up after their horses, and do not leave manure in the road. This trailhead is at the north end of the White Rocks Trail and many trails in this section do not allow bikes, offer excellent footing, and a lovely rolling terrain.
These grasslands are important habitat for nesting birds such as the Grasshopper Sparrow and Meadowlarks, so please stay on trails. One landmark is the big white water tower (quite obtrusive!) There are quite a few loops on this section of the trail. The overall impression is that of being somewhere remote in the Pawnee Grasslands or adrift in an African game preserve minus the herds of Wildebeest and lurking lions, and on a clear day enjoy the snow-capped peaks rising to the west.
