TrailBoulder County open space
Hall Ranch
The Front Range’s best-known mountain-bike climb and a fine hike: the Bitterbrush trail gains about 1,500 feet to the Nelson Loop through ponderosa meadows.
Lyons
Things to Do
Trails, parks and places worth an afternoon in and around Lyons.
ParkThe river
LaVern M. Johnson Park
The park under the cliffs: the whitewater park, a splash pad, playgrounds, the Town campground and, in a cold January, an outdoor ice rink.
VenueDowntown
Main Street and the stone town
Six blocks of locally quarried red sandstone buildings from the 1870s to 1917, fifteen of them on the National Register, and most still in everyday use.
VenueWest Main, on the river
Planet Bluegrass
The 20-acre riverside ranch that hosts RockyGrass and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, plus the Wildflower Pavilion concerts through the year.
ParkSouth bank
Bohn Park
Ball fields, a dog park, an accessible fishing platform and the trailhead for the dirt-jump bike park, across the river from Main Street.
TrailCity of Longmont watershed
Button Rock Preserve
A gentle two-mile walk along the North St. Vrain to Longmont’s reservoir dam, with the Sleepy Lion trail above it for a loop.
TrailBoulder County open space
Heil Valley Ranch
Nineteen miles of trail south of town; the Picture Rock trail runs from the Lyons side up to the ranch and links to Wild Turkey and Wapiti for a long loop.
VenueMain Street
Lyons Classic Pinball
A pinball hall with dozens of machines, a monthly tournament and a women’s league.
VenueHigh Street
Lyons Redstone Museum
Local history in the 1881 sandstone schoolhouse, run by the Lyons Historical Society since 1979. Free; open in the summer season.
VenueDowntown
Lyons Regional Library
The library district’s 2019 building: books, meeting rooms, programs most days and the Effie Banta Room for public meetings.
TrailBoulder County open space
Rabbit Mountain (Ron Stewart Preserve)
The low, dry, early-season option north-east of town, with the big view back to Longs Peak. Leashed dogs welcome.
ParkDowntown
Sandstone Park
The downtown green with the visitor center, the summer concert stage and the 1885 Depot beside it.
TrailIn town
The river path and the St. Vrain Trailhead
The flat in-town path that links Sandstone Park, the Depot and LaVern M. Johnson Park without crossing the highway, plus the south bank to Bohn Park.
TrailThe river
Tubing the St. Vrain
The town’s summer sport: a float from the Apple Valley Road bridge through the whitewater park, when the gauge reads between about 40 and 300 cfs, usually July and August.
Nothing in this category yet.
Stay the night
LodgingWest Main, on the river
WeeCasa Tiny House Resort
Twenty-plus tiny homes on the St. Vrain, a short walk from Main Street and next door to Planet Bluegrass.
LodgingWest Main, on the river
A-Lodge Lyons
Adventure lodge on the river at the west edge of town, with the Rock Garden bar on site.
LodgingThe river
LaVern M. Johnson Park Campground
Town-run riverside camping five minutes from Main Street: RV sites with hookups year-round, tent sites mid-April to mid-October.
LodgingOn the road to Estes Park
Stone Mountain Lodge & Cabins
Motel rooms and cabins on the road to Estes Park, with a seasonal pool.
Nothing in this category yet.
Outdoors, in depth
Outdoors ·
Trails and the river: five areas inside fifteen minutes
Two creeks, one whitewater park, and five trail areas within fifteen minutes of Main Street. Start with the river gauge: the number decides what kind of day it is.