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Coal was found in 1860 a few miles east of Nederland on the north side of what is now named Coal Creek.  This was only two years after the first non-native settlement was established in Boulder County.  Coal Creek is one of eighteen streams with this name in Colorado. 

 Coal Creek is about 29 miles long and originates on the eastern side of Thorodin Mountain north of Golden Gate Canyon State Park. It passes through the Towns of Superior, Louisville, Lafayette and Erie.  Flow ultimately arrives at the Gulf of Mexico.

 Coal Creek flooding in years 1896, 1921, and 2013 inflicted major damage to structures and facilities along the floodplain. One benefit of the Open Space properties is prevention of dangerous occupancy of the floodplain.

The Town of Lafayette’s Coal Creek Open Space properties help preserve an important part of this local watershed. The Coal Creek Regional Trail adjoining Coal Creek helps bind together the various communities that share this trail and thread of water. 

Coal Creek & Rock Creek Regional Trails - MAP