Writing about the Mesa Trail is like discussing brushing your teeth... it's really important, but no one ever talks about it, because everybody has to do it.
Christmas Eve, 1999. The streets are deserted, the snow is softly falling, and the night is dark and still... a perfect time for a run.

I drive up to Chautauqua, take a breath of cold sweet air, then put the headlamp back in the car, as the lights of Boulder below me cast a soft glow over the beautiful meadows, providing enough illumination for what will be a very still, and very lonely run.

Anywhere else but here. "Merry Christmas!" I said to the other two runners I passed only a few minutes after leaving the trailhead. "Merry Christmas!" I heard again a few minutes later as a group of hikers passed me going the other way.

Never mind that I was on a trail, in the dark, it was snowing, on Christmas Eve... this was the Mesa Trail. Which means I was not alone. Dozens of others were out there sharing my idea. As one friend put it, "You have to get up early, really early, to get first tracks on the Mesa Trail."

The Mesa Trail is an icon of Boulder geography and culture. Whether you're a bird watcher or an Olympic medalist, a grandmother going for a morning walk or a CU student showing your parents what they're paying all that money for, this is where you go.

The northern terminus of this super-classic trail starts right inside Boulder's city limits at historic Chautauqua Park, which was formed as a community cultural and education association in 1898. From this famous landmark, the trail first marked by Ernest Greenman in 1924 - by blazing trees with an axe and building 200 stone cairns - meanders south, formerly finishing in the equally iconic town of Eldorado Springs. Before it was one of the rock climbing meccas of the nation, "Eldo" held similar national stature as one of the premier vacation destinations in the United States, boasting three swimming pools, two first class hotels, and direct rail service from Denver. Due to private property concerns, the southern end of the trail was re-routed to it's current terminus about one mile east of Eldorado Springs, but if you know where to look, one can still take the original and unmarked "Eldo Cut-off" or "Old Mesa Trail" into the town where the Eisenhower's spent their honeymoon, and where a man by the name of Ivy Baldwin walked a high wire across the canyon until he was 82 years old.

Gerry Roach, the first American to climb the Seven Summits and author of eight guidebooks, says, "The Mesa Trail is the backbone of the Boulder Mountain Parks and has to be one of the most enjoyable trails anywhere... It provides a wonderful tour underneath the Flatirons as it descends into canyons, rises to cross meadows and winds through forested areas."

Unless you're a mountain biker. Then you can't do it. And like all of Boulder trails - from City Mountain Parks to County Open Space, Boulder District of the Roosevelt National Forest to Rocky Mountain National Park - you also can't race it. This absolutely shocks all visitors to Boulder. Anointed by Outside Magazine as "The Land of the Uber-Jock" in an article lauding it as the "best" sports town in America, and home to literally dozens of Olympic athletes, Boulder has banned any and all competitive events on any and all trails. Period. Which means races are done under the table.

The FKT (Fastest Known Time) for running from the north trailhead is 1:34:29 by Dave Mackey, the current USATF Ultrarunner of the Year, on June 3, 2003.

Oh and by the way... that's his round trip time.

An all-out record attempt would be faster than that, but most people are quite content to simply run it, even repeatedly. Galen Burrell, 2004 Pikes Peak winner, says, "The Mesa Trail is perfect. Continual ups and downs, but no gut busting climbs. And it's the hub for dozens of other trails going up into the mountains."

Lisa Ledet first ran it to celebrate her birthday. An enthusiastic member of the Boulder Trail Runners, she took the day off work and drove up from Denver just for this purpose. She answers simply, "The Mesa Trail? I love it. I used to run it every year on my birthday. That comes in the middle of December, and it can be snow covered, or warm and dry. I started on it because I didn't know about any of the other trails - this one is easy to find. For beginner trail runners it's challenging - a lot of up and down, but nothing too steep - it's very runnable. And then once you're more experienced, it still remains a staple."

I felt the same way on that snowy Christmas Eve long ago. Like everyone else, I went home for the holiday.

Note: To run it from the north, take Baseline West from Broadway (Hwy 93) 1.5 miles to Chautauqua Park, where there is water, bathrooms, a phone, and a ranger cottage. From the south, go 2 miles west on Hwy 170 from Hwy 93 to the large trailhead parking on the right; there are outdoor toilets with no water at the South Mesa Trailhead. While bikes are banned, dogs are welcome, but must be under voice and sight control, which is enforced. The trail rarely holds enough snow to be skied in the winter. For more information, visit the Boulder Open Space Webpage.

Buzz Burrell is the Manager of the La Sportiva GoLite Running Team, and first ran the Mesa Trail 35 years ago.