Well Gulch is located in Lory State Park near the same area as the Arthur's Trail. It is a very easy alternative to the somewhat challenging Artur's Rock. The 1.2 mile loop trail sends hikers around a part of the park where many animals are seen. Well Gulch is a foot only trail, meaning that horseback riding and biking are both prohibited.  Well Gulch can also be taken to Timber Trail just 1.4 miles away.
Pets- Yes
Trail Length- 1.2 miles (loop)

Coyote Ridge is off of Taft Hill (Wilson if you are coming from Loveland). The trail goes west from the road up all the way to connect with the Blue Sky Trail, which can be taken south to Devil's Backbone or north to Horsetooth. Dogs are not allowed on this trail, so be careful to leave the pets behind for this hike. The round trip of Coyote Ridge is seven miles, with restrooms about one mile in. Once on the ridge, a good view of Fort Collins and Loveland is present, along with a great view of Devil's Backbone in the distance.
Pets- NO
Round trip length- 7 miles

Horsetooth Rock is easily the most popular trail in the Fort Collins area. The rock itself is visible from the city (especially while driving west on Horsetooth Road). This trail is highly known an trafficed by people from town, so be sure to head up to this one early so the parking lot isn't full when you get their. The Horsetooth Rock hike is relatively easy. Once on the rock, there is a great view of Fort Collins. Be careful on the trail, as it has been known to be home to rattle snakes.
Trail Length- 2.25 miles
Pets- Yes
Daily Pass- $6

Greyrock Mountain  is a trail located just past Ted's Place at the edge of the Poudre Canyon. The Greyrock Meadows Loop trail is a fairly strenuous 7.15 mile loop. At the top of the mountain, there is a great view of the Front Range, along with a good sized tadpole pond. Because of the length, many people get lost along the trail, so be careful to stay on the designated path.
Pets- Yes
Daily Pass- Free
Trail Length- 7.15 miles

Blue Sky Trail is a 3.1 mile long trail that connects the Devil's Backbone Open Space and the Horsetooth County Park, and also breaks off into Coyote Ridge. Open to foot and bike, the Blue Sky Trail sees a good amount of traffic from bikers, hikers and horse riders. If you go north from the starting point, the trail weaves on the shore of Horsetooth Reservoir through a number of campgrounds on the edge. Going south is what will lead you to Devil's Backbone and Coyote Ridge.
Daily Pass- $6
Pets- Yes
Trail Length- 3.1 miles one way

Along with Pingree Park located outside of Fort Collins, CSU also owns property within Fort Collins known as the Environmental Learning Center or ELC for short. The ELC is located off of Ziegler Road in between Drake and Timberline. Home to lots of Colorado wildlife, the ELC provides Fort Collins with a close connection to nature. Along with a network of trails throughout, the ELC, there is also an injured bird shelter with many recovering birds including a Bald Eagle, a few Golden Eagles, Vultures, Hawks and a few others. The best thing about the ELC is it is completely free to enter and explore.
Pets- NO
Daily Pass- N/A

Pingree Park is a large area of forest located about an hour and a half up the Poudre Canyon. Home to the CSU Mountain Campus and many campgrounds, Pingree is a great place for people who love the outdoors. Many hikes are available (although not all of them are completely mapped out so be careful not to get lost) all around the park. One hike is a trip through the forest to a B17 Bomber Plane that crashed there in 1943. If you are going to Pingree to camp, there are multiple campgrounds throughout the park that only charge a small fee to enter, and if you don't want to pay, there are tons of camping spots that are on the side of the road and don't require a pass to stay at. So if you have a weekend and want to get out of town, why not drive up to Pingree and check it out?
Pets-Yes
Daily Pass- Varies on your location
(PICTURE: View of the Mummy Range, visible from many points in the park)

The City of Fort Collins has a number of Natural Areas located right in the middle of the city. These multiple areas provide various trails for hiking, biking, running, and more. Having access to nature right down the road is something special that living in Fort Collins offers. Cathy Fromme Prairie (pictured left) is just one of many of these Natural Areas. Some trails are paved, but generally most of the Natural Areas have dirt paths. Other Natural Areas around the city include Kingfisher Point, Riverbend Ponds, and McMurry. They are great if you don't have time to get our of the city, but still want to get a good hike in. Almost all of the trails are not at all strenous. More info is availible for these areas is abailible on the City of Fort Collin's website.

Daily Pass- N/A

Pets- Yes

If you are looking to leave Fort Collins for a hike, many of our neighbors also have some very good places to hike that generally aren't too far away. An  open space is located just outside of Loveland called  the Devil's Backbone. Devil's Backbone is located off of Eisenhower Boulevard towards the Big Thomson Canyon. The backbone itself is a rock formation that can be seen very early on during the hike. The Devil's Backbone Trail connects to many other trails around the area, including the Blue Sky Trail, which can be taken all the way to reach Horsetooth Reservoir
Pets- Yes
Trail Length- Varied
Daily Pass- None

 Located off of CR-38 (Harmony) to the west of town is the thriving Horsetooth Open Space.  The park is home to many trails including the locally iconic hike to Horsetooth Rock and Horsetooth Falls. These two hikes are one of the most popular trails near Fort Collins, so always make sure you have another place to hike planned in case the parking lot is full. This past week, my family and I were able to check out the Horsetooth Falls trail. The trail itself is very easy, with a total distance of under 2.5 miles. There are very few steep parts on the trail, so it would not be challenging to bring a dog along for the walk. At the end of the trail, there is a very small waterfall with a nice pool of water at the bottom. It is also possible to get on the top of the rocks that the fall is coming off to see the stream go up further.  Spring Creek trail also lies near the end of the trail to the falls, so if you are wanting to connect to another trail and hike for longer, it will be possible to do so.

Trail Length- 1.2 miles
Pets- Yes
Daily Pass- $6

Arthur’s Rock is a medium difficulty foot only trail located in Lory State Park just north of Fort Collins. The rock can be seen from the town and is a very distinct feature on the mountains just west of us.  With an ascent of just over one and a half miles, Arthurs Rock is relatively steep for its length. Because of the steepness of the trail, when you reach the top of the rock, there is a great view of the town and beyond. If you are lucky enough to be at the top on a clear day, it is sometimes possible to see as far as Wyoming to the north.

Trail Length- 1.7 miles

Pets- Yes with leash

Daily pass- $7

I reside in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado. The town itself and the state of Colorado as a whole is said to be a generally active place, holding many events such as walks, hiking, bike rides and races, and many other outdoor activities. In this blog I will be exploring one of those activities in particular; hiking. Fort Collins and the city’s surrounding area is home to many hiking trails of all difficulties, which allows the information about various areas and trails useful to a wider variety of people living in the Northern Colorado area.  

I am always open to suggestions, so if there is a trail you would like to see me blog about, leave me a comment on any of my posts.