Soapstone Prairie Natural Area

Located just 20 miles north of Fort Collins, Soapstone Prairie offers hours of riding, many trails to explore through mostly unspoiled prairie. While there are many trails in the area, riders need to observe signage as many of the trails do not allow horses. The horse trails are accessible from the south parking lot, which can be accessed by turning left after the entrance station. The entrance station is there to provide information, there is no access fee. The south parking lot has ample room for horse trailers with pull through spots, a mounting area and hitching posts. From the parking lot, riders have several options. 

At the west end of the parking lot, the Cheyenne Rim trail leads northwest and connects into the Red Mountain Open Space. This trail will take riders into Red Mountain, then into Wyoming for a long day ride. Red Mountain is a beautiful area to ride in and in this area riders have several options to loop back to Soapstone Prairie. While this trail does connect to the Canyon Trail, riders are not allowed on the Canyon Trail and should read signage. 

The other horse trails are accessible from the entrance station. Riders should ride back to the main road (Rawhide Flats Road) then continue Northeast on the Pronghorn Loop. There are several available loops from this trailhead. The pronghorn loop is about 8 miles and will be a 2-4 hour ride. 

For a longer loop, riders can connect to the Plover trail, although it is closed from Apr. 1 through July 15. The Plover trail connects to the Sand Wash trail and back into the Pronghorn Loop. Riders should be cautious when taking trails as the Plover trail and Sand Wash trail connect into trails that are not open to horses. 

Rider should be vigilant for rattlesnakes and other wildlife while out on the trail. These areas are also used for stock grazing and riders should give stock and ranch workers plenty of space. Also, because this is a wildlife preserve, no dogs are allowed even leashed or in cars. 

Happy trails!

Elkhorn Creek

A fairly new (opened 2010) recreation area, Elkhorn offers a wide variety of terrain and trails to explore for any level of trail rider. The roomy parking lot provides ample room for horse trailers and pull through parking spots and a separate hitching post make this parking lot ideal for riders. 

The trail heads out from the west side of the parking lot through a fairly easy to open gate. Following the trail through beautiful open stands of pine and aspen, riders are quickly presented with several easy creek crossings before the trail opens into a grassy meadow. In the meadow riders can explore and find an old homesteader cabin. From this meadow, riders have several options and may have to do a bit of off trail exploring to find the areas they want to explore.

From the meadow, riders can follow the creek south following an intermittent trail that leads to an large open meadow with beautiful views of the Never Summer and Mummy Mountain ranges near Rocky Mountain National Park. From this meadow, if you turn north-northwest through part of the meadow, riders can connect with an an old access road. Following this road, through several gates, riders can connect to the Molly Lake and Lady Moon trail systems. Currently, the Lady Moon area is closed and riders may see forest service workers clearing hazard trees and doing other maintenance. Past the Lady Moon trail, the access road continues through open forest areas and eventually connects to the Molly Lake trail. 

Following the signs to the right, a quarter mile trail through a stand of aspen trees leads to Molly Lake. Following the trail around to the north side of the lake offers a beautiful view of the lake and meadow and offers a great chance to let the horses rest and grab a picnic lunch. 

From the lake there are several trails riders can take around the area but they should use caution as there is some private property in the area including the area around Lady Moon Lake. If riders return on Molly Lake trail and follow the old access road, they can connect to the disappointment falls trail that leads back to the Elkhorn Creek trailhead. 

Following the old access road, riders will go through several gates, but need to turn right at the gate with a trail leading east at the gate. On the other side of this gate, there is another forest access road and the trail should be fairly easy to spot. This trail leads through some meadows and trees and does have some tight and muddy spots and may be more challenging for beginner riders or horses. 

For their efforts, riders are offered beautiful views of Rocky Mountain National Park and glimpses of the Shambala Mountain Shrine.  This trail connects to the north side of the meadow with with the cabin and reconnects with the trail back to the trailhead. 

With many other trail options and acres of backcountry to explore off the trail, this new trail area is a place to explore over and over. 

Reservoir Ridge: Wildlife, rocks, and views

One of the smaller natural areas in the Fort Collins area, Reservoir Ridge is just north of the city and west of Overland Trail. Paths in this natural area make for a great short ride or can connect you with miles of trails in the other natural areas around Fort Collins.

Following Overland Trail north from Fort Collins, the road bends sharply to the left, then sharply right and continues into LaPorte. To get to the parking lot, drivers should continue straight when Overland turns right and follow Michaud Lane. The road dead-ends at the parking lot after a narrow bridge. Trailers should parallel park at the fence on the right of the lot. Cars should continue into diagonal parking on the left side. Parking is limited, so be courteous and use all available trailer space. If the lot is full, you will have to ride at another time.

The trail leaves from the south end of the parking lot and continues through an open meadow. Even through the meadow, the trail is rocky and fairly narrow. Horses should be equipped with shoes and riders should be vigilant for signs of lameness in their horses. The rocks and low grass are also ideal habitat for rattlesnakes, so use caution and carry a snakebite kit.

As the trail starts to climb, riders meet their first option. To the right, the trail climbs the hill and does a long, wide loop back to this junction. To the left, following the Foothills Trail, riders will have several more options for routes to take. About a quarter mile up the trail from this junction, another option is available; it goes straight over the ridge and connects back to the loop trail or to a parking lot on County Road 23.

The Foothills Trail continues south over some rough terrain with some large rocks for horses to climb over. If riders continue on the Foothills Trail, they will walk though an open gate and make the final choice to stay in this natural area or continue through the foothills. If riders take a right turn, they will reconnect with the other trail options and can make shorter or longer loops back to the parking lot. This option takes riders though some nice meadow areas and gives views of both Fort Collins and Horsetooth Reservoir. Taking the Foothills Trail, riders can connect into Maxwell and Pineridge natural areas and extend their ride for several hours.

Reservoir Ridge's largest loop takes about 1.5 hours and makes a nice evening ride.

The trails in this area are challenging, with many rocks, tight spots and other trail users. Riders need to watch for mountain bikers, hikers, dogs and wildlife while out riding on this trail. For the effort, riders are treated to views of the city, the reservoir, the Bellevue area and the foothills.

Lory State Park

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!

Mount Margaret

About 20 miles west of livermore, horseback riders have a choice to make. Turn left and explore the Lady Moon trail or turn right and explore the Mount Margaret area. 

The Mount Margaret parking lot is well maintained with ample room for trailers. The trailer parking area has pull through spots and easy access to the restroom facilities. The trail heads north though a gate out of the parking lot.  The trail is wide and meanders though open pine forests and meadows. 

About a mile from the gate, the trail crosses south lone pine creek. The crossing is friendly and wide, and should be easy for any horse, even those unfamiliar with water.  The trail continues through meadows and open forest areas to a rickety old gate. 

Shortly after the gate, the trail branches, the dowdy lake trail heads off to the left, while the Mount Margaret trail heads straight. As the trail continues, there are several trails that branch off giving riders the opportunity to make their ride as long or short as they want. 

The main trail is well marked and easy to follow, but doesn’t have a well marked end at the summit. There is very little altitude gain on the trail, but toward the end of the trail, riders a treated to a gorgeous view of the canyon carved by the north lone pine creek.

Along the trail are 9 campsites available for back country camping. Each site comes with a bench and enclosed fire pit. While not equipped with horse stalls, camping with hobbles or high lining is possible at the sites. 

This area is a gorgeous place to ride for any level of horse and rider and definitely worth the drive.

For more information about the trail, and other trails in this area, check out the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers website.

Happy Trails!

Colorado Equine Emergencies

Spring time is a great time to travel with your horse for trail rides and shows, but here in Colorado we have a few concerns for people traveling with horses to be aware of.

Equine Herpes Virus 

A horse recently was euthanized after showing neurological symptoms associated with Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy, which also is known as EHV-1. This virus caused a massive outbreak last spring after horses were exposed to it at a large event in Utah.

Currently, only a few barns are affected. The horse that was euthanized had been transported from Iowa by a transport company along with several other horses. The facilities affected are locked down and monitoring their horses for symptoms.

Caution should be used when brining new horses onto your property, and all new horses should be quarantined for at least two weeks before being allowed to interact with other horses on the property.

Several good resources for information on this outbreak are online.

For information about the disease and prevention of its spread: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/docs/EHV-1WhitePaper.pdf .

For news and updates on the outbreak in Colorado:

http://www.colorado.gov/ag .

For news and updates around the rest of the nation:

http://www.aqha.com/en/Showing/News-Articles/05102012-EHV1-Outbreak.aspx .

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Hewlett Gulch Fire: Protect Your Horses!

At 1 p.m. Monday, a fire broke out in the Hewlett Gulch region near Poudre Canyon. The fire has caused trail closures in the area including the Hewlett Gulch and Gray Rock trails.

The Hewlett Gulch area often is used by horseback riders. As of Tuesday night, there are no evacuations, but residents are on alert in case the fire’s path changes. The fire covers more than 600 acres and is 10 percent contained.

Equestrians should not trail ride near the area and may want to avoid Poudre Canyon in general to allow emergency crews unhampered access to the area. The smoke is thick and can be seen along much of the Front Range. Riders should use caution when riding because horses can be affected by the smoke in the air.

Horses may need to be evacuated from the fire area. If you are in the area and need help with horses, or have resources available to help with the fire, visit the Facebook group Front Range Area Equestrians at https://www.facebook.com/groups/346370242066987/.

If you cannot get your horses evacuated, make sure they have identification (such as a halter with contact information). Then, open gates on the property so horses can escape from the fire if needed.

Please try to plan ahead and get horses and other pets out of danger before being forced to resort to last-minute measures.

Cherokee Park State Wildlife Area: Lone Pine Unit

Cherokee Park State Wildlife Area provides opportunities to see a wide variety of species including bighorn sheep — and to enjoy a beautiful day in the hills with your horse.

The state wildlife area can be entered through two main access points: one off of Cherokee Park Road (Larimer County Road 80C, which leaves U.S. Highway 287 22 miles northwest of Fort Collins) and the other off of Red Feather Lakes Road.

Maintained by the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Cherokee Park is divided into five management units which cover almost 21,000 acres of public land.

The Lone Pine Unit connects with all the wildlife area's other units, so riders can feel free to explore and ride for days. It's named after Lone Pine Creek, which runs through the tract. Access is off of Red Feather Lakes Road, about 8 miles from the Livermore turnoff along U.S. 287. The dirt parking lot has plenty of room for most horse trailers to pull in, park and turn around, but there are no designated parking spots. Drivers should be courteous to fellow trail users and park so that other trail users have easy access to the lot.

The trailhead presents two choices: Follow historic Maxwell Ranch Road or take a trail up the hills. Both trails reconnect in the gorgeous canyon where Lone Pine Creek runs. The road is flatter, wider and easier, although it makes several stream crossings before  reconnecting with the other trail. The other route climbs over a few hills, and provides for gorgeous views in all directions. The descent into the canyon following this route is steep, rocky and not for inexperienced riders or horses.

Once down the hill, riders can head due west, following Maxwell Ranch Road, which also follows Lone Pine Creek. The road crosses the creek several times, but the crossings are friendly, shallow and great for teaching horses about water crossings. The road heads up a hill and then descends into another beautiful canyon. The road is about 8 miles long and enters Forest Service property.

Riders who head northeast along the road will find a bathroom and access to the Lone Pine Trail. This trail loops through the unit and reconnects with Maxwell Ranch Road. The loop is about 8 miles long as well, so riders should plan for around half a day of riding.

This area is open to recreation from May 1 through Sept.1 but is limited to hunting and fishing the rest of the year. Permits are required for hunting, and if riding during those months, riders should be cautious and wear orange hunting vests and other fluorescent-colored gear.

Happy trails!