As winter approaches, finding places to trail ride becomes more difficult. The trails get muddy, mountain trails are hard to access because of road closures and snow, and there is less time to travel to the trails as the days get shorter.
Fort Collins has an extensive system of trails throughout the city, however, and a few of them are open to horse travel. One of the city's best paths for horses is the Poudre Trail, great for an afternoon ride during fall or winter.
This east-west trail on the far north end of town parallels the Cache la Poudre River. The trail starts in LaPorte and heads past Old Town all the way to the Riverbend Ponds natural area off Mulberry Street and Timberline Road. Because this urban trail has a few road crossings and other obstacles, it's better for more advanced riders and horses. It offers a chance to teach horses about water crossings, bikes, dogs, people, and pavement. It's also a great challenge for a horse which is doing well on mountain trails.
Horse trailers can be parked in a number of places. To start at the beginning of the trail, park in LaPorte. A small parking lot is off Overland Trail just west of 54G. If that lot is full, equestrians can park in the supermarket lot just to the east, but must be sure to clean up after horses. Starting from this point means crossing a long and noisy bridge. This may not be the best choice for horses which are not calm and ready to behave immediately off the trailer.
A better choice is at the trailhead on Taft Hill Road. The fairly large lot has spaces designed for horse trailers. From the trailhead there, the trail heads south. Most of the route features two parallel trails -- one paved, one dirt -- to provide options for where to walk. This trail is popular, so equestrians will encounter people riding bikes, walking dogs and jogging.
The first major obstacle on this part of the trail is a tunnel. Although short, it's made from steel, so it is loud and echoes as horses approach and walk though it. If a horse becomes nervous, it may be safer to dismount and walk the animal through it the first time.
The next obstacle is at Shields Street, which presents two choices: Walking under the road, a low bridge and blind corner, or crossing the road and watching for traffic.
After shields, Poudre Stables is on the right and the river is on the left. Some of the dirt side trails offer chances to play in the river or cross one of the many bridges and use the natural areas on the Cache la Poudre's north side.
The path winds down along the river, and crosses under railroad tracks and College Avenue. Those crossings are very low, so riders should dismount to be safe.
The trail eventually connects to Linden Street and passes New Belgium Brewing. A creative rider might be able to find a way to get a sample from the brewery before continuing on the ride.
The trail continues along a natural area and golf course until it connects to Mulberry Street and Lemay Avenue. Horses should be very used to cars and traffics to continue past here, because riders may have to travel on or near the busy streets. The trail concludes just past Timberline Road in the Riverbend Ponds Natural Area.
With all the side trails and adjacent natural areas, every trip down the Poudre Trail will be slightly different and can provide horses and riders many new challenges, both natural and human made.
No comments:
Post a Comment