From I.M. Pei's NCAR to Your Flatirons Portrait
A private 45-minute portrait hike from NCAR's Mesa Lab toward the Flatirons, with a retouched online gallery two to three weeks later.
A Boulder photographer meets your group at the south end of the NCAR Mesa Lab parking lot and walks you up the mesa toward the Flatirons for 45 minutes, shooting candids along the way and a few portraits. The booking is private, and nobody outside your group joins.
The listing charges once per booking. The booking calendar returned USD 85 for one traveler, six and fifteen alike, as of October 19, 2026. That price covers the 45-minute session and a USD 50 credit toward prints, products or digital negatives. Confirmation is instant, and the session is guided in English.
Boulder Flatirons Private Photo AdventureA private 45-minute photo hike from the NCAR Mesa Lab, with a USD 50 image credit and one price for up to 15 people.www.viator.comThe Mesa I.M. Pei Hiked at All Hours
NCAR's archive tells the building's story. A committee of architecture deans from seven UCAR member universities chose I.M. Pei unanimously in 1961, staff moved in by September 1966, and the lab was dedicated in 1967. By the archive's account, Pei spent a tremendous amount of time on the mesa, hiking it at all hours of the day and evening and sitting among the grazing deer. The towers are reinforced concrete made with aggregate from a nearby quarry, colored with sand ground from that same stone in place of commercial pigment.
The session uses the trails around the lab. One 2023 reviewer wrote that after a week on Boulder's crowded hiking trails, the photographer took them somewhere they did not see one other person the whole time.
You Choose and Buy the Pictures Later
The listing describes the photographer as an experienced Boulder native and a 20-year Boulder photographer. It promises a style and welcome guide before the session, then a password-protected online gallery within two to three weeks, each image retouched for color and skin. You pick favorites from that gallery. Pictures past the USD 50 credit are bought from the gallery, and the listing does not publish what each one costs. Ask for that price before you book. Further editing is available on request.
Anyone who wants to shoot too can tell the operator ahead of time and borrow one of its entry-level Nikon DSLRs, with those images sent afterward by download link.
No Bus Reaches the Mesa Lab
The listing says NCAR is easy to reach by car, bus or bike, and it ticks public transportation nearby. NCAR's own trip page disagrees. It says there is no public transportation to the Mesa Lab, which sits at the top of a 1.3-mile road with 433 feet of climb from the neighborhoods. The nearest stop, Table Mesa Drive and Yale Road, leaves a 2.1-mile walk with 610 feet of gain.
Driving is the simple answer, and the dedicated lot on the northeast side of the building is free. NCAR also lists biking the road, walking it or a three-quarter-mile trail from the neighborhoods, and rideshare drop-off in the main lot, with a suggestion to schedule the return ride before you arrive.
Wheelchairs, Strollers, and Mud
The listing ticks wheelchair and stroller access and "Suitable for all physical fitness levels," and it says the trail is easy enough for children, with each hike tailored to the group. Service animals are allowed. NCAR's visitor notes describe the weather trail behind the lab as unpaved, and muddy and harder to navigate after snowmelt or rain. One 2024 reviewer wrote that the photographer worked to find a wheelchair-accessible place for her mother. The booking form has a special-requirements box, which is the place to say who is coming and what they need.
Weather can move the plan. NCAR warns of high winds off the foothills, and the listing lets the operator cancel for bad weather. A 2025 reviewer wrote that the photographer moved their session around the weather and met them on short notice once it cleared.
📍 Meet at the south end of the horseshoe-shaped parking lot at the NCAR Mesa Lab, 1850 Table Mesa Drive. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund. Inside, the visitor center's free exhibits and restrooms are open 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekends and holidays.