Self-guided · metro area, Colorado

Historic Forts in Boulder, CO

Architecture is history you can still walk into. The Boulder, CO metro area has about 328,560 residents, ranking 162nd in the country. The trick is knowing which doors have a story behind them.

Forts, blockhouses, batteries and stockades near you, from the frontier to the coastal defenses.

Open the Colorado map · All states

On the record near Boulder, CO

The 6 nearest

6 listed sites on the record match historic forts within 200 miles of Boulder, CO, out of 340 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

Fort Vasquez27 miles from the center of Boulder · Site · Platteville · listed 1970National Register of Historic Places
Quick, Ben, Ranch and Fort55 miles from the center of Boulder · Site · Palmer Lake · listed 1974National Register of Historic Places
Fort Halleck133 miles from the center of Boulder · Site · Elk Mountain · listed 1970National Register of Historic Places
Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog Ranch154 miles from the center of Boulder · Building · Fort Laramie · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
Pike's Stockade190 miles from the center of Boulder · Site · Sanford · listed 1966National Register of Historic Places
Fort Peabody196 miles from the center of Boulder · Site · Telluride · listed 2005National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Boulder, CO. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Historic Forts in Boulder, step by step

1
See every listed site of this kind in the area
2
Sort by distance and pick the closest few
3
Read the record for the year, the builder and the use
4
View from the public way and note what has changed
5
Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Boulder, CO ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Boulder, CO?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Boulder

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Boulder, CO the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Boulder, CO are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.