A few days ago, we sat drinking a thermos of coffee and admiring the sunrise light on Mount Audubon and the Indian Peaks. Meadowlarks and redwing blackbirds serenaded us, and a great blue heron sailed serenely across the sky. Suddenly, a Savannah sparrow flew at a Say’s phoebe and chased it from its perch near the Cherryvale Trailhead.

If you go to the Cherryvale Trailhead very early on a June morning, you may spot a snipe spiraling down from the sky. Or, a bobolink may sing from a nearby post. Or, a small flock of Wilson’s phalaropes may spin circles in an ephemeral pool in an emerald field.

Bird’s foot trefoils, flowers in the pea family, add splashes of gold to the scene. Dewdrops make diamonds on wild roses and milkweeds that emit intoxicating scents to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Later in the day, butterflies might engage in a behavior called “puddling” as they imbibe minerals from the mud puddles.

With 360-degree views, the trailhead is also a great sunset spot. When it rains as the sun continues to shine in late afternoon, you often see magnificent rainbows to the east. If you go as night falls at the end of June or early July, dozens of fireflies blink on and off as they search for mates in the wet grass. There’s less light pollution here than elsewhere in town, so it’s a pretty good place for star gazing or comet watching (on the rare occasions when one occurs).

From the parking lot, a short trail — maybe as long as a city block — goes to the ranger offices for the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP) where the trail ends. After checking the trees for birds, we turn around here and head east and then north paralleling South Cherryvale Road.

About half a mile from the trailhead, the wheelchair-accessible trail passes the Viele-Van Vleet house and farm, now a Boulder historic landmark. It’s a picturesque scene with two trees growing out of the long unused silo! Albert and Addie Viele ran a dairy farm here from 1884 to 1942 producing butter for local restaurants. Lynn Van Vleet, famous for his Arabian horses, bought the farm in 1942 and named it the Lazy VV Ranch. The OSMP Department acquired the property in 1978 and now leases it to working ranchers.

For a longer hike, turn west on reaching the farm house and South Boulder Road. Boulder Creek West Trail connects to the South Boulder Creek Trail in half a mile. At that point, you can go for miles in either direction. You can go all the way to Marshallville Road if you turn left and to the Bobolink Trailhead and beyond if you turn right.

The wet meadows are the reason so many magical things happen along the Cherryvale Trail. It also means mosquitoes, so take repellent.

Directions: From South Boulder Road turn south on Cherryvale. In 0.1 mile turn west at the Cherryvale Trailhead sign.

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