As is my custom in the midst of splendiferous scenery, I’m easily distracted. I often slow and then altogether stop whatever I’m doing and just look around. While not an uncommon trait among outdoor lovers, for me this routine tends to increase exponentially the more dramatic my surroundings. True to form, the first day I moved to Ft. Collins, I shuffled from the moving truck with a box of dishes, looked up at the mountains and froze.

Like many communities along the Front Range, Ft. Collins is blessed with a backdrop of dramatic foothills splendor, highlighted by Horsetooth Mountain and Lory State Park. Ditching a college lecture here and there, I beelined for Lory’s trails squiggling over rocky ridges and noodling into shady canyon recesses. The park is steeped in Native American history—Apache, Comanche, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux lived or made appearances in the area, while the mobile Ute tribes settled on mountain passes and regions of western Colorado. Throughout the state, spear tips, knives, axes, scraping tools, and other relics dating to 9,500 BC have been found.

One of 40 Colorado state parks, Lory boasts over 2,400 acres of diverse terrain providing 26 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. This hike explores a scenic gulch, climbs through mountain meadows, and heads up high to Arthur’s Rock with breathtaking views of Horsetooth Reservoir, the town below, and the high plains beyond.

Start on the Timber Trail, following a gentle uphill grade along the creek into a narrow canyon. The trail crosses the creek above a petite waterfall and becomes rockier as it continues climbing. This is a beautiful canyon, with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and spruce mixed with huge, round boulders. After a couple more creek crossings, the trail makes two sweeping switchbacks and emerges into a meadow and a stand of giant ponderosas. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife like mule deer, wild turkey, jackrabbits, coyotes, and raptors overhead.

Keep following the drainage up the north slope of the canyon on hard-packed, relatively rock-free tread, with great views to the east of Horsetooth Reservoir and Ft Collins beyond. After another short climb, the trail levels for a bit and then climbs again to the Arthur’s Rock Trail. The last grind to the top is a scramble over and around huge boulders on the back side of the peak. The lumpy, rounded summit of Arthur’s affords stellar views, of course—along the west shores of the reservoir, look for the long ridgeline running the entire length of the reservoir and even farther to the south. Pretty impressive display of geologic handiwork, eh?

Descend through various crinkles in the landscape until finally settling in to a manageable rhythm to the Well Gulch Nature Trail and the homestretch to the trailhead.

Why this place matters

Much of the park’s lower elevations are grassland communities dominated by prairie sandreed, blue grama, needle-and-thread grass, and others. Some drainages provide favorable conditions for the rare wood lily and more than 175 resident and migratory bird species occupy the park, including lark bunting, meadowlark, raptors, hummingbirds, tanagers, canyon wrens, and shorebird species keen on Horsetooth Reservoir’s consistent water levels. Many land-based animals live here as well, like mule deer, coyote, Abert’s squirrels, rabbits, and red fox.