Visit Boulder Earns Leave No Trace Gold Standard
Boulder becomes the first tourism-destination organization to earn the gold standard designation from Leave No Trace.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in National Parks
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Visit Boulder received a gold standard designation from Leave No Trace in October 2026, the first tourism-destination organization to do so. The honor follows a joint effort with local hotels and businesses to market sustainable travel.
Why it matters
The designation recognizes Boulder's collaboration with the city, state, University of Colorado, and Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. It signals a model for how a tourism destination can promote responsible visitor behavior in the outdoors.
Leave No Trace has awarded gold standard status to 70 parks, resorts, and educational programs and to seven of the 64 national parks in the United States. The extraction does not specify the criteria weighting used in the designation.
The players
Leave No Trace
A nonprofit founded in Boulder 32 years ago that promotes outdoor ethics and is funded largely by corporate giving, including REI Co-op and Airbnb.
Visit Boulder
The city's tourism-destination organization, which became the first in its category to earn Leave No Trace's gold standard designation.
The details
Visit Boulder worked with hotels and local businesses on a joint plan to market sustainable travel, and the BoulderWise principles now appear on posters and pamphlets across town. The seven principles were developed through a collaboration between Leave No Trace and Visit Boulder.
Timeline
October 2026: Visit Boulder receives the gold standard designation.
Fall 2026: City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks earns its Leave No Trace designation.
Jan. 21 to Jan. 31, 2027: Sundance Film Festival draws about 50,000 visitors to Boulder.
Roadmap
Leave No Trace's gold standard program has so far recognized 70 parks, resorts, and educational programs, with seven national parks among them. Boulder's award extends that recognition to a destination marketing organization, a category the program had not previously honored.
Visitors heading to Boulder can expect BoulderWise posters and pamphlets around town and hiker shuttles serving trailheads such as Hessie, Colorado Chautauqua, and Eldorado Canyon State Park. Trail users are reminded to stay 70 steps off trail for nature calls.
The takeaway
Following the BoulderWise principles on trails and in town helps protect the landscapes that draw visitors in the first place. Travelers can check hiker-shuttle options before heading to popular trailheads.
What happens next
The Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 21 to Jan. 31, 2027, with about 50,000 visitors expected in Boulder.
Further reading
Explore more on National Parks to see how Boulder's sustainable-travel push fits into the wider outdoor-recreation picture.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Colorado Sun.
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Would you change how you behave on trails when visiting a new town?
