Whoever said, “You can’t squeeze water from a stone,” never struck the sweet spot southwest of Basin that cracked the cleft of Sullivan Gulch. One of few creeks in the Boulder area that retains a population of westslope cutthroat trout, Sullivan Gulch cradles a history in its upper reaches from wood-cutting in the 1890s to cattle grazing and firewood gathering more recently. But it’s the first mile of narrow trail that releases the sweetest trickle down past the chin of Swede Park.
Begin in a meadow that catches the weep shallowing out into the Boulder River. From the trailhead, part the roadside fringe of trees to find a dirt path leading to a trail sign. Behind the sign is a fence, and behind the fence is a quagmire of crusted hummocks scoured by rills of water through tall grass. With balance and a bit of fancy footing you can braid your way between clumps of willow, juniper, alder and aspen, and keep your boots dry. But to avoid any ankle sloshing, step around mud puddles to the fence gate, then totter back across a seep to the meadow’s left edge where a subtle footpath hugs the base of the hill.
Keep far left against the treed slope. The trail fades in and out, pinching and widening through short stretches of leveled rockfall and grassy path. The first quarter-mile climbs mildly and funnels you into a creek bottom bound by high slopes. Firs crowd into the middle ground as the narrowing meadow swells and dips softly between tumbled rocks.
