Looking for an aspeny autumn hike away from crowds and close to Boulder? Try the section of the Switzerland Trail starting on the Gold Hill Road and heading north on FS 93 in Arapaho National Forest. Three years ago we wrote our “Nature Walk” on the section heading south to the Mount Alto picnic area.

Now, we’re recommending the section across the road from the Mount Alto stretch where aspen should reach peak color by mid to late September.

At the point where the Gold Hill Road crosses the Switzerland Trail, there’s a small parking area at the four-way intersection. Just below the parking lot, a large aspen grove that borders the meadow turns red every year.

From the parking area, head northwest on the northernmost extension of the Switzerland Trail. Because it follows the grade of a narrow gauge railroad, the road is wide with little elevation gain.

We usually walk only a mile or two on the trail and return. Because a long-ago landslide effectively closed the road about two miles in, there’s even less traffic here than on the rest of the Switzerland Trail. Early in the morning, there was only one vehicle, one bicycle and two hikers.

Aspen trees were just beginning to turn gold in the first week of September, and summer’s flowers still bloomed. Yellow, lavender and white asters bloomed beside the road along with white gilia, scarlet paintbrush, pink geraniums and goldenrod. Jamesia, chokecherries, wild roses and other understory plants flaunted red and orange leaves reminding us that aspen are not the only stars of autumn’s show.

Berries were ripening, and we nibbled on rose hips and golden currants. Robins, juncos, chickadees, a few chickarees, a chipmunk and a golden-mantled ground squirrels kept us company. We sometimes see deer, and four years ago, we encountered a moose just on the other side of the landslide.

In western Boulder County, historian Silvia Pettem tells the story of this railroad that started in 1883 to serve the mining towns near Boulder. The first train ran to Penn Gulch (now called Sunset) in Four Mile Canyon and had to back all the way down, because there was no place to turn around. Promoters dubbed the line “The Switzerland Trail of America” and advertised that “one need not go to Switzerland for sublime mountain scenery.”

During the early 20th century, the railroad experienced heavy snows, a fatal avalanche, various accidents and financial problems. A flood in 1919 destroyed tracks and bridges, and the line was not rebuilt.

After your hike, you might enjoy exploring the old mining town of Gold Hill at an elevation of 8,300 feet. Highlights include a two-room schoolhouse built in 1890 to replace a one-room school that started in 1873. It’s the oldest continually operating school in Colorado. The town also includes historic houses, inns, a museum and a hillside cemetery established in 1866 and set in an aspen grove.

A word of warning: Don’t step in a pothole like Ruth Carol did earlier this summer on a different section of the Switzerland Trail. Landing full force on your elbow makes you grateful for all the folks who help injured hikers: friend Kit who flagged down a motorcyclist; the motorcyclist who found an off-duty fireman; Cade, the fireman who administered first aid and drove us to our car; and all the skilled people in the emergency room. If you’re going to hurt yourself, Boulder is a pretty good place to do it.

Directions >> From Boulder, take Sunshine Canyon Drive (a continuation of Mapleton Avenue) 10 miles to Gold Hill where the road changes its designation to Boulder County Road 52. Continue west for 2.5 miles to the intersection with the Switzerland Trail, and turn left into the parking area.

Ruth Carol and Glenn Cushman are the authors of Boulder Hiking Trails, available on Amazon.