Burr Trail

Boulder red-rock backway through Long Canyon to the Burr switchbacks

The Burr Trail runs east from the tiny town of Boulder through Long Canyon, where red sandstone walls rise close on either side before the country opens toward the Waterpocket Fold. The first stretch out of Boulder is paved and genuinely scenic, after which the famous Burr switchbacks drop steeply down the Fold on graded dirt. Conditions on the unpaved sections vary sharply with weather. Mind soft or washed-out dirt after rain, the steep tight Burr switchbacks themselves, and the absence of any services along the route.