Just a short drive north west of town is one of the best places in Northern Colorado to ride. Lory State Park has a wide variety of trails for horseback riders ranging in difficulty level from beginner to advanced.
There are several places to park each with their own options for trails. After stopping at the visitor center to purchase a day pass, follow the main road through the park. The first left leads to the first parking lot with trail access. There are two trails you can access from this lot, both head south on either side of the valley and reconnect at the south parking lot.
The next parking on the main road is on the left and connects to the east valley trail as well as beach access. The east valley trail has some bridges that can be challenging for horses new to trail riding. They are wooden bridges, fairly narrow without sides, while most bridges on the trails are short, one on this trail is fairly long and winding and provides a great schooling opportunity. This trail is also great for conditioning for eventing or endurance riding as the trails are long and have a variety of terrain.
Just before the road ends, there is a large trailer parking area on the left. This parking lot gives you access to all the trails. The east and west valley trails meet at this parking lot and continue into the next valley. Following those trails into the next valley also gives riders access to the cross country course. The jumps are being worked on the the CSU english riding team, but not all of the jumps have had recent maintenance. When schooling, walk around and inspect the jumps and take off and landing areas as they may be holes, loose boards, nails, or other hazards. The east and west valley trails connect at the south end of the park and make a nice loop. From the end of this loop, riders can continue into the Horsetooth park open space.
From the east valley trail, another trail branches to the left and heads down to Horsetooth Reservoir. This trail gets steep and rocky and can be hard to follow, but there are several beaches and reservoir access. There is also a short branch from that trail that follows the ridge line and gives beautiful views of the park.
From the west valley trail, a trail branches off and heads west. This trail heads into the backcountry of the park. This trail is steep and rocky and for more advanced riders. There are several branches off this trail that can connect back to the west valley trail or into Horsetooth park.
Lory State Park is also part of a trail system that connects to Devil’s Backbone Open Space though Horsetooth park. This trail can also be a great all day ride.
Lory State Park offers year long passes so riders can feel free to explore all the trails this park has to offer.
Happy Trails!
