NCAR Mesa Lab
The NCAR Mesa Lab is the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s striking pink-sandstone-colored tower complex on a mesa above south Boulder, with the Flatirons rising right behind it. Its Visitor Center is free and open nearly every day, with hands-on weather and climate exhibits, art galleries and a short trail out the back door.
NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO
The building complex was designed by the modernist architect I. M. Pei, whose design was inspired by the cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan peoples. Pei used bush-hammered concrete, roughened so its color and texture blend with the surrounding rock, and arranged the towers so the lab looks like it grew out of the mesa. NCAR is sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and scientists still work here today on research about the atmosphere, the Sun and the Earth system. Inside, the Visitor Center exhibits let you touch a cloud, play with chaos, steer a hurricane, look at the Sun and explore Earth’s systems. Behind the building, the scenic Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail heads out across the mesa, with big views of the foothills.
Admission is free and no reservations are needed. The Visitor Center is open 363 days a year, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. It closes two days a year, one in spring and one in fall, for maintenance announced in advance. Free walk-in public tours run Wednesday and Friday from noon to 1 p.m., excluding federal holidays; just meet the guide in the lobby. Tours suit adults and students above sixth grade best. Private group tours for 10 to 30 people need at least three weeks’ notice. Parking in the visitor lot is free, but there’s no public transit up the 1.3-mile road, which climbs 433 feet from the neighborhoods below.
Photo Gallery
Photo credits: National Center for Atmospheric Research – Boulder, Colorado by en:user:Daderot (CC BY-SA 3.0); National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, USA in 2014 by Tim Farley (CC BY-SA 4.0); National Center for Atmospheric Research (17747613) by Alfred Essa (CC BY-SA 2.0); NCAR – panoramio by Thomson M (CC BY 3.0); USGS-UCAR-Aerial-2002 by United States Geological Survey (USGS) (Public domain). Images via Wikimedia Commons.
News & Events
Check the NCAR Visitor Center trip-planning page and the NSF NCAR alerts page for any unexpected closures before your visit. Want to say you’re coming to a Wednesday or Friday noon tour? You can reserve a free ticket in advance on Eventbrite, though walk-ins are welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do at the NCAR Mesa Lab?
- Hands-on exhibits: Touch a cloud, steer a hurricane and learn about the Sun and space weather.
- Free noon tours: Join a guide Wednesday or Friday at noon to learn about current research.
- Architecture: See I. M. Pei’s famous towers up close.
- Weather Trail: Walk the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail behind the building.
- Art galleries: Browse rotating art exhibits inside the Visitor Center.
What is nearby the NCAR Mesa Lab?
- Chautauqua Park: The classic Flatirons trailhead, a few miles north.
- Eldorado Canyon State Park: Rock climbing and canyon hikes south of Boulder.
- Pearl Street Mall: Boulder’s pedestrian shopping and dining district.
- Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse: A hand-painted Tajik teahouse near downtown.
Is the NCAR Mesa Lab free to visit?
Yes. Entry to the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab Visitor Center is free, and no reservations are required for individuals or groups visiting the exhibits or joining a public noon tour. Parking is free too.
When is the NCAR Mesa Lab open?
The Visitor Center is open 363 days a year: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Public tours run Wednesday and Friday at noon, excluding federal holidays. It closes two days a year for maintenance, announced in advance.
Are there any tips for visiting the NCAR Mesa Lab?
Drive, bike or rideshare, since no buses reach the lab; the nearest stop, at Table Mesa Drive and Yale Road, is a 2.1-mile uphill walk. Park in the free lot on the northeast side and follow the paths to the main doors with the blue “Discover” and “Explore” banners. Come in the late afternoon for golden light on the towers and Flatirons, and bring shoes for the weather trail. Call 303-497-2401 with tour questions.
The NCAR Mesa Lab Visitor Center is located at 1850 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder, CO 80305. Call 303-497-2401 or visit scied.ucar.edu/visit to plan your visit.