Rabbit Mountain Open Space located in Longmont, Colorado spans over 2,733 miles and offers over 5.7 miles of trails. The trails wind through the the grassy mountainsides and provide incredible views of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. There are several trails around the area and most are open to hiking, mountain biking and equestrians. There is a variety of wildlife that roam Rabbit Mountain Open Space including rabbits, deer, hawks, owls and even golden eagles. The golden eagles also nest in the southeastern section of the property which is why this area is closed from February 1st to July 31st. Closing during this time allows for the eagles to have a peaceful nesting season. There are maps at the front entrance that will show what areas are closed and their closing times.
In early December, we hiked the Eagle Wind trail at Rabbit Mountain Open Space. This four mile hike is an easy to moderate trail offering great terrain for both hiking and biking. The trail starts to the left of the information sign at the back of the parking lot. It can be a little confusing at the entrance as there are two separate trails. We selected the trail to the far left, not directly behind the sign. This trail heads up the mountainside lending way to incredible views of the Rocky Mountains. Approximately half a mile through the hike, the trail will split. The Little Thompson Overlook trail will split to the left. To the right the Eagle Wind Trail will continue on. Here you will cross over a dirt road and then head up around another mountainside. The trail will split again, since the Eagle Wind Trail is a loop you can select either direction. The loop itself is two miles in length. At about the half-way point around the loop you will find a bench overlooking the foothills and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance. This a great location to stop and rest or even bring a little snack to munch on and enjoy the view. We took a left when the loop split which brought us up the back side of the mountain.
There are some older trees that grace the hillside and offer some shelter as you near the middle of the trail. After we paced the halfway point we reached some more ascending and descending varying terrain. Their was another bench near the merging point of the loop trail. The bench itself is dedicated to a hiker that enjoyed this Rabbit Mountain Trail. There are also educational signs along the way that talk about the history of the Colorado Big Thompson Project that provides water from the mountains to the Colorado eastern slope. The St. Vrain Supply Canal was constructed across Rabbit Mountain in 1959. Be sure to take a moment and read more about the struggles that led to this decision.
Trail Length: 4 Miles round-trip
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Terrain: dirt and rocky
Open to: hiking, biking, equestrians
