Map of bike paths / walking paths in the Fort Collins area

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Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling in Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins is located in Northern Colorado about 50 miles north of Denver. This city is situated along the Poudre River and is located on prairie land adjacent to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University and has a historic downtown area.

The city has a large network of connecting recreational trails for getting some exercise on a bike or by running or walking.These trails are also used by many people for commuting to work or school. There are also trails within the many parks and natural areas as well as the neighborhood trails.

Poudre Trail

The Poudre Trail is a 10-mile long paved pathway that travels through the natural area alongside the Poudre River as it flows through the north and east side of Fort Collins. The northwest end of the trail is located in the community of Bellvue and the southeast end is located between Drake Road and Prospect Road at the CSU Environmental Center. Future plans for the trail will have a connection between the Poudre Trail in Larimer County and the Poudre River Trail in Weld County.

The Poudre Trail is located away form traffic, has underpasses for many of the major roadways, goes through miles of cottonwoods and past a number of local parks. The Spring Creek Trail connects to the Poudre Trail to the northeast of E. Prospect Road and S. Timberline Road.

Read more about the Poudre Trail

Spring Creek Trail

The Spring Creek Trail is a 7-mile long paved pathway that crosses through the heart of Fort Collins in an east-west direction. The trail follows the natural areas alongside the creek and passes numerous local parks. The trail is quite meandering and has many users on weekends. The Spring Creek Trail connects to the Fossil Creek Trail at Spring Canyon Park on the west side of Fort Collins. The Spring Creek Trail intersects the Mason Trail to the west of College Boulevard and allows for connection to the Power Trail near Edora Park. The east end of the Spring Creek Trail intersects the Poudre Trail at the Cattail Chorus Natural Area.

Read more about the Spring Creek Trail

Mason Trail

The Mason Trail is a 3.5-mile long paved pathway that runs through the heart of Fort Collins in a north-south direction. The trail starts at the CSU Campus and heads to the south going past much of the commercial area of the city. The south end of the Mason Trail connects to the Fossil Creek Trail that heads to the west as far as Fossil Creek Park on Lemay Avenue.

The Mason Trail does have numerous street crossings and goes through the most conjested part of Fort Collins, but does provide a corridor for those commuting by bicycle.

Read more about the Mason Trail

Power Trail

The Power Trail is 4.4-mile long paved pathway that follows the corridor of the overhead powerlines to the west of S. Timberline Road on the east side of the city. The trail provides commuters a great way to cross town away from traffic. There are street crossings at a number of major roadway and there is a gap in the separate trail to either side of E. Harmony Road.

The north end of the Power Trail is located near Edora Park and allows a connection to the Spring Creek Trail. The south end of the Power Trail connects to the Fossil Creek Wetlands Trail that heads under Trilby Road to the east of S. Lemay Avenue.

Fossil Creek Trail

The Fossil Creek Trail consists of two separate segments of paved pathway on the west and south side of Fort Collins. The western segment connects to the Spring Creek Trail at Spring Canyon Park on the west side of Fort Collins and then heads south to travel through the Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area. This section of the trail stops at S. Shields Street, 3/4 miles south of Front Range Community College.

The eastern section of the trail extends from where it meets the Mason Trail near S. College Avenue to Fossil Creek Park on S. Lemay Aveue.

Read more about the Fossil Creek Trail

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Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails located in Fort Collins, Colorado.