Bear Peak is an 8,459-foot summit in Boulder Mountain Park, widely regarded as the southern end of Boulder’s Flatirons and one of the area’s best-known hiking destinations. Reached by the steep Shadow Canyon and Fern Canyon routes, it is often considered the most strenuous nearby climb and is connected by a saddle to South Boulder Peak. Its summit offers sweeping views across Boulder toward Denver and west and north to the Indian Peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park. The mountain is also a climbing area, carries storm hazards on its exposed upper slopes, and was partly burned in the June 2012 Flagstaff Fire.