Just twenty minutes west of Fort Collins sits Lory State Park. The park covers over 2500 acres of beautiful terrain consisting of unique rock outcroppings, grassy open meadows, shrubby hillsides, and ponderosa pines. The park offers a variety of activities such as hiking, backcountry camping, rock climbing, and wildlife viewing.
There are twelve clearly marked and mapped trails. Our first stop is Waterfall Trail for a short stroll to what we hope will be a waterfall. What we discover is a small trickle of water. The snow melt isn’t significant enough just yet, thus a mere trickle. After a little laughing and joking we return to the truck and drive up the road a piece.
We take the road to the far end of the park. We contemplate the Arthur’s Rock Trail but opt for the Shoreline Trail which takes us toward Horsetooth Reservoir. The trail is clearly marked and easy. The red sandstone is a striking background to the grassy meadow.
As residents of Colorado for over fifteen years, we’ve learned to always keep an eye on the sky. Colorado rates second in the country when it comes to lightning strikes, Florida number one. Therefore while hiking in Colorado, it is prudent to pay attention to the weather and to the sky. Weather here can change abruptly and severely and since the ominous clouds are starting to roll in, we head back to the vehicle and call it a day.
If you’re in the Fort Collins area, I would definitely recommend a day trip of picnicking and hiking at Lory State Park. The drive to get here is also worth seeing. Allow plenty of time to stop along the way. You won’t be disappointed!
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