The jaw-slackening angle on the Flatirons offered by Chautauqua Park helps explain why locals have been drawn to the attraction since 1898, when the city purchased these eighty acres of land. But its location, only a short distance from the University of Colorado, is just as much of a lure for students, who make up a sizable chunk of the crowds that can be found enjoying the park's amenities, including a picnic area, a playground, tennis courts and (in a very Boulder touch) a "Demonstration Garden." Long before recreational marijuana sales were legalized in Colorado, plenty of CU enrollees (and many others) used a certain herb to enhance this experience, and that's continued to this day. It's regularly Colorado's stoniest hike, and we're not talking about the geology.