Highway 93 (Boulder to Golden) Colorado Weather Cams
CO 93 MP 013.65 NB at Eldorado Springs Dr/CO 170 Cam
CO-93 MP 011.80 NB at CO-128 Cam
CO 93 MP 010.40 SB : 1.7 miles S of CO 128 in Golden Cam
CO 93 MP 008.80 SB at Westgate Rd in Golden Cam
CO 93 MP 007.55 SB at Coal Creek Canyon Rd/CO 72 Cam
CO 93 MP 006.85 NB : 0.8 miles S of Coal Creek Canyon Rd/CO 72 Cam
CO-93 MP 004.15 SB at W 64th Pkwy Cam
CO 93 MP 003.80 NB : 0.5 miles S of W 64th Pkwy in Golden Cam
CO-93 MP 003.05 NB at W 58th Ave Cam
CO 93 MP 002.50 NB : 0.6 miles S of W 56th Ave in Golden Cam
CO-93 MP 001.25 SB at Golden Gate Canyon Rd Cam
CO-93 MP 000.70 NB at Iowa Dr Cam
US 6 MP 271.60 WB at CO 58/CO 93 in Golden Cam
Colorado State Highway 93: A Foothills Corridor Shaped by Geography, Growth, and a Century of Colorado History
Highway 93 (Boulder to Golden) Colorado Weather Cams. Colorado State Highway 93 (SH 93) may stretch less than twenty miles between Golden and Boulder, but its history reflects the evolution of the northern Front Range itself—its mining towns, transportation ambitions, environmental debates, and the dramatic landscapes that define the eastern edge of the Rockies. The highway’s corridor has long served as a natural passageway along the foothills, and its story intertwines with the region’s earliest inhabitants, industrial booms, and modern growth pressures.
Indigenous Pathways and the Foothills Landscape
Long before SH 93 existed, the narrow strip of land between the mountains and the plains served as a travel corridor for Indigenous peoples, including the Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne. These groups moved seasonally along the foothills, following game and accessing mountain resources. The terrain—rolling grasslands rising toward the hogbacks—offered reliable routes that avoided the steep canyons to the west and the exposed plains to the east.
Archaeological sites throughout the Front Range show evidence of camps, hunting sites, and toolmaking areas. The future alignment of SH 93 lay within a well‑used cultural landscape, not an empty frontier.
Early Euro‑American Settlement and Mining Influence
By the mid‑19th century, Euro‑American settlers began moving into the region. Golden, founded in 1859, quickly became a supply hub for miners heading into Clear Creek Canyon and the central Rockies. Boulder, established the same year, grew as a gateway to mining districts in the foothills and high country.
The land between the two towns remained largely open ranchland, dotted with homesteads and small agricultural operations. Wagon routes existed, but no formal road connected Golden and Boulder directly along the foothills. Travelers often followed rough trails that skirted the hogbacks, tracing a path similar to today’s SH 93.
The Long Road to a Road: Early 20th‑Century Efforts
By the 1920s, both Golden and Boulder recognized the need for a reliable north–south highway linking the two communities. Local leaders argued that such a road would support commerce, tourism, and regional connectivity. In 1923, Golden alderman Bert Jones publicly advocated for a joint effort to build the road, urging the cities to construct their respective ends and lobby the state to complete the middle section.
Progress was slow. Funding was limited, and the rugged terrain posed engineering challenges. Newspaper articles throughout the 1920s chronicled the fits and starts of the project. In 1927, the state committed $18,200 toward the proposed highway—an important milestone, though still insufficient to complete the entire route.
Despite these efforts, the road remained incomplete for years, with segments improved piecemeal as counties and the state found resources.
Formal Establishment and Mid‑Century Development
Colorado State Highway 93 was eventually designated as part of the state highway system, and by the mid‑20th century, the route had taken on a recognizable form. The highway’s alignment followed the natural contours of the foothills, running north from Golden at the junction with U.S. 6 and SH 58—right at the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon—and continuing toward Boulder.
As suburban development expanded westward from Denver and eastward from the foothills communities, SH 93 became increasingly important as a commuter and regional connector. The highway remained two lanes for most of its length, preserving its rural character even as traffic grew.
The Surrounding Landscape: Table Mountain, Rocky Flats, and Open Space
The corridor surrounding SH 93 is defined by dramatic and historically significant landscapes.
North and South Table Mountain
These volcanic mesas rise above Golden and frame the southern end of the highway. Their distinctive flat tops and rugged slopes have long served as landmarks for travelers. Today they are protected open spaces, offering hiking, biking, and sweeping views of the Front Range.
Rocky Flats
One of the most historically complex areas along SH 93 is the Rocky Flats site, located near the midpoint of the highway. Once home to a nuclear weapons production facility, the area has undergone extensive cleanup and now includes the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The land surrounding the site has been the focus of decades of debate over development, conservation, and transportation planning.
Coal Creek and the Southern Boulder Foothills
As SH 93 approaches Boulder, it passes near Coal Creek Canyon and the rolling foothills that define the city’s western edge. These areas include ranchlands, open‑space preserves, and wildlife corridors that remain central to Boulder County’s conservation identity.
Modern Improvements and Safety Efforts
In recent decades, SH 93 has seen targeted improvements aimed at safety and multimodal access. One significant project south of Boulder added shoulders and built an underpass for the Community Ditch Trail, improving conditions for cyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians.
These upgrades reflect the highway’s dual role: a transportation artery and a recreational gateway.
Growth Pressures and Environmental Debates
Because SH 93 runs through largely undeveloped land between two major cities, it has long been at the center of land‑use debates. Proposals such as the Jefferson Parkway—a toll road intended to complete the Denver metro beltway—would have connected to or paralleled SH 93. Boulder County and local advocates opposed these plans for decades, arguing that they would spur urban sprawl and threaten open space.
The corridor remains a symbolic and literal boundary between urban development and protected foothills landscapes.
SH 93 Today: A Scenic, Essential Foothills Route
Today, Colorado State Highway 93 is a vital north–south connector linking Golden and Boulder along the dramatic interface of plains and mountains. It remains a two‑lane highway for most of its length, offering:
- Access to open‑space trailheads
- Views of mesas, foothills, and wildlife habitat
- A key commuter route for residents of Jefferson and Boulder counties
- A scenic alternative to US 36 and I‑70
Despite its modest length, SH 93 embodies the history of the Front Range—its Indigenous roots, settlement patterns, transportation ambitions, environmental values, and ongoing negotiations between growth and preservation.
It is, in many ways, the story of Colorado itself written along a narrow ribbon of pavement at the foot of the Rockies.
For more information, visit the State Highway 93, Colorado official website.