Leisure Travel

Parks

The following parks are maintained by Larimer County Parks and Open Lands. Parks are open year-round, 7 days a week.

Carter Lake (22.5 mi)
1800 South County Road 31
Loveland, CO

Carter Lake is located in the foothills west of Loveland at an elevation of 5,760 feet. Three miles long and about one mile wide, Carter Lake is a 1,100-acre reservoir (surrounded by 1,000 acres of public lands), and is popular for fishing, sailing, camping, swimming, scuba diving, rock climbing, and water skiing. It is open year round. Park Entrance Permits and Camping Fees are required.

Devil’s Backbone Open Space (14 mi)
Hidden Valley Drive
2 miles west of Loveland, CO

Red-tailed hawks soaring above, grasslands carpeted with wildflowers, and towering rock formations. The 2198-acre Devil's Backbone Open Space provides abundant opportunities on a seven-mile trail for outdoor recreation including hiking, running, horseback riding, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, observing nature, as well as enjoying close-up inspection of the rock outcrop and long vistas of the area, while on the trail. The Devil's Backbone is one of the most impressive and visible geologic landmarks in Larimer County.

Flatiron Reservoir (22 mi)
County Road 18E
Loveland, CO

Flatiron Reservoir is 47 acres of water surrounded by 200 acres of public land. It is located northwest of Carter Lake at an elevation of 5,470 feet. Flatiron Reservoir is a popular spot for fishing and family camping. There is no boating or swimming allowed on Flatiron Reservoir; however, nearby Carter Lake offers both.

Horsetooth Mountain Park (4 mi)
Horsetooth Mountain Park is a scenic, 2,711 acre park located on the west side of Horsetooth Reservoir. It is located 4 miles from Fort Collins and 12 miles northwest of Loveland. Elevations vary from 5,430 feet at Horsetooth Reservoir to 7,255 feet at the top of Horsetooth Rock, one of the most outstanding features in the park. Horsetooth Mountain Park offers over 29 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding.

Horsetooth Reservoir (15 mi)
County Road 38E

Located in the foothills west of Fort Collins at an elevation of 5,430 feet, Horsetooth Reservoir is 1,900 acres of water surrounded by 2,000 acres of public land. It is popular for fishing, boating, water-skiing, and camping.

Lions Park (10 mi)
Overland Trail north of Ft. Collins,
Past Bingham Hill Rd

This popular park and trailhead is host to habitat that supports a critically imperiled butterfly species. Further along the trail, are concentrations of narrowleaf cottonwood and chokecherry.

Pinewood Lake (22 mi)
County Road 18E

Pinewood Reservoir is located west of Carter Lake at an elevation of 6,580 feet. Pinewood is 100 acres of water surrounded by 327 acres of public land. It is popular for trout fishing and camping. Swimming is not allowed; however, a swim beach is located at nearby Carter Lake Dam 2.

Ramsay-Shockey Open Space (22 mi)
Next to Pinewood Reservoir

The Ramsay-Shockey Open Space, adjacent to Pinewood Reservoir, was purchased in 1997 with the intent to protect important wildlife habitat, to provide a buffer to Pinewood Reservoir and to allow for expanded recreational activities. On this 177-acre property, a four-mile natural surface trail allows hikers and mountain bikers to enjoy extraordinary vistas of the surrounding valley in a peaceful ponderosa pine forest and open meadow setting. The trail from the Blue Mountain Campground allows access to a ¼-mile wheelchair-accessible boardwalk.

Rimrock Open Space (10 mi)
County Road 19

Rimrock Open Space, which is 746-acres in total, is an important component of Larimer County's Front Range Mountain Backdrop. Currently access to Rimrock Open Space is accomplished through the Coyote Ridge Natural Area. Here hikers, mountain bike enthusiasts, and equestrians may traverse a 7-mile round-trip trail and enjoy spectacular views of dramatic red rock cliffs and the hogback valleys. In the summer of 2006, the Rim Rock Open Space trail system will become part of the Blue Sky Trail extending from the Devils Backbone trailhead to Horsetooth Reservoir.