| Official Name: | Sugarloaf, Colorado |
| Settlement Type: | Census Designated Place |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Sugarloaf |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Sugarloaf CDP in the United States |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Boulder County |
| Government Type: | unincorporated community |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.640 |
| Area Land Km2: | 5.640 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.000 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 274 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | -7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 40.0189°N -105.4078°W |
| Elevation Ft: | 7842 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code[3] |
| Postal Code: | Boulder 80302 |
| Area Codes: | 303 & 720 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 2583301 |
Sugarloaf (also spelled Sugar Loaf) is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Sugarloaf CDP was 274 at the United States Census 2020. The Boulder post office (Zip Code 80302) serves the area.[3]
Sugarloaf, sometimes spelled Sugar Loaf, Boulder County, was referred to in Colorado historical records dating back to 1868. It seems the early name came from a mining claim referred to as "Sugar Loaf, near Yellow Pine."[4] Sugar Loaf seems also to have been a term for a mining district, of multiple mining claims.[5]
In 1989, a destructive wildfire swept up and across much of Sugarloaf burning, destroying 44 houses and other structures, and causing approximately in damages.[6] The Black Tiger Fire"was the worst wildland fire loss in Colorado history" at the time. It was a human-caused fire that started 9 July 1989 in a scenic mountain area at the base of Black Tiger Gulch and swept up to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain through residential areas that were "nestled among the trees. Within the first five to six hours after ignition, 44 homes and other structures were destroyed and many others were damaged." Some fire fighters of the Sugarloaf Volunteer Fire Department had their own homes destroyed during the fire. Although there were a number of minor injuries, there were no fatalities from the fire.[7]
Sugarloaf is located in south-central Boulder County, approximately halfway between Boulder and Nederland. It is bordered by the Mountain Meadows CDP to the northeast, and North Boulder Creek forms part of the southern edge of the community. Sugarloaf Road is the main route through the CDP.
The Sugarloaf CDP has an area of 5.64km2, all land.[1]
The United States Census Bureau initially defined the for the
Sugarloaf has a volunteer fire department—as of 2019, the department typically runs 30 to 45 members—which is a part of the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District (SLFPD) covering approximately of territory, 500 homes, with land between elevation in mountainous terrain. The VFD was initially formed in 1967, and in 2019, serves approximately 1400 persons.[8] [9]