Our first Hike and Slice™ in Boulder County Colorado
As a part of our Hike and Slice™ series, we set out to stay healthy by doing a 5k (at least) by hiking through nature and then indulging on some pizza from some of the more famous, or infamous, pizza joints. Sometimes we’re not sure which is more challenging…the trails or the pizza!
We did our first hike…and our first Hike and Slice™ in Colorado.
We did 3.1 miles on the Overland Trail at Heil Valley Ranch in Boulder and then had a pie at New Yorkese in Downtown Boulder.
It wasn’t actually our first hike in Colorado. We’ve done others, but it was, in fact, the first since “moving to” Colorado. There is so much to explore here and there are SO many trails that it’s truly a hiker’s paradise.
It is believed that the Heil Valley Ranch was settled late in the 1700’s by beaver trappers exploring the local rivers. A good part of the parcel was purchased in 1993 and 1994 as part of the North Foothills Open Space. The Cal-Wood Fire in 2020 covered over 10,000 acres with more than half of that on Heil Valley Ranch lands. The remnants of which can still be seen today.
There are a number of picturesque trails to explore on the site of Heil Valley Ranch. There are six that are used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding: Wapiti Trail (2.5 miles); Ponderosa Loop (2.6 miles); Wild Turkey Trail (2.9 miles); Picture Rock Trail (5.2 miles); Overland Loop (2.3 miles); and Schoolhouse Loop (0.9 miles). There is also Lichen Loop (1.3 miles) which is pedestrian only and Grindstone Quarry Trail (1.4 miles) which is for pedestrians and horseback only.
There is also a “skills” loop where you can experience all of the different terrains on your bike that you will hit while on the various paths, a great feature for those who are newbies or are unsure if they want to hit the rougher areas on the trails.
We didn’t bring our bikes, this time, and we were not actually intending to do 3.1 miles on this particular day, but it sort of morphed into that distance. We are still working on getting acclimated to the altitude and it’s been a while since our last real hike, so we really just ventured out to see some scenery and get some steps in.
We parked in the Corral Trailhead parking lot and followed the well-marked signs for the Overland Loop Trail. It was a bit chilly starting out but once we got moving, and starting climbing, a layer definitely came off.
The trail was somewhere between easy and moderate. And that is only because there are some spots where there are some jagged, broken rocks, with some very uneven terrain. There were quite a few bicyclists who passed us and we both wondered how they were able to get over some of the raised jagged rocks protruding from the path. There were a couple of spots on a curve where you could very easily hit it just the wrong way and go down the side of the mountain.
The majority of the trail was easy, though, and mostly packed dirt making for a nice leisurely hike. The temperature was in the 50’s and there was a strong breeze so there was no getting overheated. But the same hike during the summer months would be work because there is no protection from the sun and heat.
The scenery didn’t disappoint. And we didn’t really expect it to for that matter. Pictures don’t do it justice. There are said to be over 50 species of mammals on the grounds, including elk, coyote, black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, and golden eagles. And we did get to see a few mule deer hanging out under some trees and a golden eagle flying overhead.
Although the Overland Loop is 2.3 miles, because we WERE enjoying it and not feeling like we were overdoing it our first time out, we extended it and continued on through the skills loop and clocked in at 3.1 miles. Good enough to make it a Hike and Slice™!
Only a short drive to downtown Boulder, we found New Yorkese on Pearl Street, on the rooftop in the collaborative known as Avanti Food and Beverage.
New Yorkese was founded by chef Steven Redzikowski who owns a number of area restaurants, originating from his time working as a teenager in a New York pizzeria.
There are a few different options and we went with the basic…and it’s called Basic B which is a 14-inch pie with red sauce, Wisconsin mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil.
We literally didn’t wait more than 10 minutes for our pie to come out. It was super quick.
The crust was thin but not floppy and the sauce was sweet but not too sweet. It was good, but you couldn’t tell that there was anything of a New York origin about it. It was definitely not a New York pizza, especially after I hit it with some hot honey.
Don’t get me wrong, I would definitely go back again, but not for a slice. That’s because it’s clearly marked “NO SLICES” so you can only get full pies. But that’s OK because if you’re not alone, they are small and thin enough to finish without a problem.
We enjoyed the hike, and we also enjoyed the slice. So bringing the Hike and Slice to Colorado was a nice experience. But wait…there’s MORE!
After parking in the unpaved lot, I realized there was a grinding noise coming from my wheel well on the right side. I thought nothing of it at first because I have experienced similar before when I had a pebble in the tread of my tire. But after removing some pebbles, the noise was still there. I took it to a tire place. They told me it was in the brakes. I went to a brake place. First they said it was a rock stuck and then another person said it was the brake pads. The brake pad had just been replaced. I called the local dealership and they had me come in first thing the next morning. They found a rock in the rear brake area but the noise was coming from the front. A rock had gotten in there as well and bent the housing and was carving an indentation in the rotor. Hence, the noise. Apparently it is pretty common in these parts.
Welcome to Colorado!
If any pizza establishment would like to be a part of this series, please contact us. We’d love to hear from you!
