Field Notes: Red Rocks Loop, Boulder

Centennial Park Trailhead, Boulder, 16 miles from Longmont

Drive past the bustling and overflowing Sanitas Trailhead and arrive at the active but less frenetic Centennial Park Trailhead. Follow signs toward the Red Rocks Loop trail, a .5 mi trail that loops around a beautiful jutting rock formation with gorgeous views of the surrounding foothills and Boulder below. While the hike isn't long, it is steep at times with sandy, crumbling rocks. There are many other trails around this area, so you could extend your outing.

For more local hikes see here and here.

This is a late March day... Sunny and 70 degrees!

Discovery Days

Where: Longmont Museum & Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road

Web: http://www.longmontmuseum.org/education/discovery-days/

When: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9:00 to 10:15 am, 10:15 to 11:30, and 12:30 to 2 pm (Discovery Days is open when school is in session, and closed during all breaks and holidays)

Looking for something to do to get out of the house with your little one? Discovery Days at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center is the perfect rainy day activity. Geared for the 2 to 5-year-old set, Discovery Days offers many tables of hands-on activities based around a theme. If your preschooler likes to get messy with paint, glitter, and glue, this is the place to do it!

There are also permanent play stations such as a play castle that our 4-year-old can't resist, a table full of beans and cups for pouring fun, and a puppet theater. Discovery Days is $4 for residents and $4.50 for non-residents (fee is per child), and each drop-in session is 45 minutes.

Check the Discovery Days calender to see what the weekly theme is. We unwittingly showed up for Super Heroes week which, while popular with many kids, was not too exciting for our girly girl. Fortunately we decorated our super hero cape to be an Elsa cape, and all was well.