Arroyo Chico Hideaway

Arroyo Chico Hideaway is a 2.33-acre homesite in the Boulder foothills, forested and private at 6,500 feet yet twelve minutes from Pearl Street and CU: mountain quiet with a real city at the bottom of the hill. Much of the early legwork is done, with the county RFA report in hand (2,718 sf) and an updated survey on record. Single-family homesite with room for a guest house. No HOA, no dues. Bring your architect.

Land

2.33 acres per the current survey (Boulder County assessor records show 2.55 acres), zoned F (Forestry), at roughly 6,500 feet. An open, forested parcel folded into the hillside, shaded by evergreens and broken by weathered outcrops of Boulder Creek Granodiorite, the rock that forms these foothills; soils run to sandy loam over decomposed granite. A couple of relatively level areas ease siting a home with less excavation. The parcel lies in Flood Zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area. A small seasonal pond sits in a low spot, filling with snowmelt and spring runoff. Access is via the subdivision’s recorded platted road right-of-way along Arroyo Chico; buyer and agent to verify legal access and road-maintenance status. No HOA and no dues. Quiet and private without being remote or isolated.

Improvements

Essentially unimproved and ready to design. Maximum Residential Floor Area is 2,718 sf per the Boulder County RFA report (in hand), and a Building Lot Determination is in process to confirm the buildable envelope. Zoning is F (Forestry), which permits a single-family dwelling. The recorded Sierra Antigua covenants allow one guest house in addition to the main dwelling (400 sf minimum, matching the main dwelling, built after it); county approval of an accessory or guest dwelling is a buyer verification item.
No public water or sewer: the site will require a private well and an on-site septic system, so you design those around the home you want rather than inherit someone else’s. The pre-1972 subdivision (1966 plat) may qualify the parcel for an exempt domestic well; buyer to confirm permit type with the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Septic follows a soils and percolation evaluation; area soils are variable, and nearby septic permits are on record. A driveway is subject to a Boulder County access permit, with approach and grade engineered at design.
The property is subject to the recorded Sierra Antigua Protective Covenants (architectural review, 35-ft setbacks, 1.5-story maximum, natural exterior materials, single-family use plus one guest house); buyer to review and independently confirm all details. Highest and best use is a single-family homesite.
All figures, approvals, and site characteristics above (including but not limited to RFA, Building Lot Determination status, well and septic feasibility, access, and covenant matters) are provided for general information, are not warranted, and remain subject to independent verification; Buyer should rely solely on Buyer’s own due diligence and professional advisors, and not on any statement by Broker or Seller, in evaluating the property.

Recreation

Outdoor amenities sit minutes away in every direction. Just down the canyon, Betasso Preserve offers miles of directional single-track for mountain biking, trail running, and hiking, with equestrian use as well. The Boulder Creek Path runs the canyon below for a car-free ride into town. Boulder Canyon’s granite puts rock climbing close at hand, and Boulder Creek holds trout for the fly rod. Cyclists have road, gravel, and mountain terrain within easy riding distance from the property, and up the road sits the historic mining town of Gold Hill and its storied inn. For the high country, the Peak to Peak, the Indian Peaks Wilderness, and Eldora’s lifts are a short drive west.

Region & Climate

This is Colorado’s Front Range foothills, the transition zone where the plains rise into the Southern Rockies, at roughly 6,500 feet. The setting is montane forest, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir over ancient granodiorite, wooded and quiet yet a short descent from the full services of Boulder. Four distinct seasons, low humidity, and abundant sun; summers run cooler than Denver and the lowlands, and winters bring intermittent mountain snow between clear, bright stretches.

History

Fourmile Canyon is where Colorado’s gold story effectively began: an 1859 strike on Fourmile Creek led prospectors to Gold Hill and touched off the Boulder County rush. The canyon’s old camps (Salina, Crisman, and Wall Street) still stand, and from roughly 1898 until 1919 the narrow-gauge Switzerland Trail railroad climbed these grades toward Eldora and Ward. The bedrock underfoot, Boulder Creek Granodiorite, is among the oldest rock in the county. Real history, held close to a modern college town. And a new chapter arrives in January 2027, when the Sundance Film Festival makes Boulder its home, anchored on the Pearl Street mall twelve minutes down the canyon.

Location

About twelve minutes from downtown Boulder: west on Boulder Canyon Drive, up Fourmile Canyon, then right on Arroyo Chico. Close enough to commute, run errands, or make a dinner reservation without planning your day around the drive, and far enough up to trade traffic for quiet. Downtown Boulder, CU, and Pearl Street are minutes out; Nederland and the Peak to Peak are just west; Denver and DIA are straightforward drives. Boulder Valley schools.