Larimer County, centered roughly 50 miles north of Denver, stretches north to the Wyoming border and includes the northern Colorado communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins and Loveland.
Residents of this area have a strong appreciation for open space, multi-use trails and outdoor recreation.
In fact, the phrase “Taxes for Trails” might appropriately describe the region.
In November of 1995 the citizens of Larimer County voted overwhelmingly to support a quarter-cent sales and use tax to protect open space, natural areas, wildlife habitat, regional parks and trails.
This initiative represented a grass-roots effort by a group of concerned citizens who joined together to form the Help Preserve Open Spaces Initiative.
Since the passage of the tax, the Open Lands Program has successfully preserved over 43,000 acres of land throughout Larimer County to form 14 open space areas. These lands protect natural resources as well as provide valuable recreational opportunities for residents of the region.
Sales tax funds, coupled with state and federal grants, private sector donations and volunteer work, have enabled the Preserve Open Spaces consortium to acquire land, build trails, parking areas, restrooms and related infrastructure, and manage the recreational activities.
The concept is simple — preserve public open space in a fast-growing and densely populated region to provide recreational areas for area residents and visitors.
A desirable side effect is that the availability of trails encourages residents to exercise. Go to any of these areas on any day and you’ll find people hiking, trail running and mountain biking.
You’ll also notice a clear appreciation for nature and dedication to keeping the areas clean — no plastic trash bags decorating trees, no beer cans beside the trails, and no garbage dumped on access roads.
One of the crown jewels of the Larimer County open lands program is the Devil’s Backbone area (www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/openlands/os_devils_backbone.htm). I hiked, mountain biked and did a trail run in this area during a recent vacation trip to Colorado.
This open space consists of 2,670 acres that parallel the distinctive rock outcroppings known as the Devil’s Backbone. Within the open space, there are 15 miles of multi-use trails that connect to other trails and open space areas.
Cyclists, hikers and runners can connect seamlessly on off-road trails from Loveland, Colo., to other open space areas near Fort Collins, enjoying grasslands carpeted with wildflowers, towering rock formations and abundant wildlife.
Look west from the Devil’s Backbone trails and you’ll see the 12,000-14,000 foot mountain peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park.
The trails paralleling “the Backbone” offer something for everyone, ranging from smooth, fast single track to rough rock gardens that challenge even the best technical mountain bikers.
Another great area made possible by the quarter-cent Larimer County open space tax is Horsetooth Mountain Park, a 2,711-acre foothill oasis located just west of Fort Collins near Horsetooth Reservoir (www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/htmp.cfm).
Horsetooth is situated adjacent to Lory State Park and Horsetooth Reservoir, two other area that attract a large number of outdoor enthusiasts. This park area is named for the distinctive Horsetooth Rock formation that forms the highest point of the park.
The 29 miles of multi-use trails in this park start at a base elevation of 5,430 feet and climb to 7,255 at Horsetooth Rock. When the spring snow-melt is in full swing, you’ll be treated to a great waterfall view at Horsetooth Falls.
Some of the best trails in the park include the Horsetooth Rock trail (steep and rocky), Mill Creek (a fun but very technical downhill), and the infamous Towers climb up a steep 4WD road.
Bring your ‘A’ game if you plan to ride up Towers — it’s a 3-mile climb with several 15-20 percent grade pitches that ascends almost 1,800 feet.
Local mountain bikers use the Towers climb for hard interval sessions (hammer up the climb, descend and repeat until muscle failure), and the Fort Collins Trail Runners club holds a twice-monthly uphill time trial race on the road.
Upcoming Events
- Aug. 24: Armydillo 10K and 2-mile, roadlizards.org
- Sept. 5: Road Bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
- Sept. 7: Comanche Warrior triathlon, visitbigspring.com/pages/comanchewarriortriathlon
- Sept. 7: Let It Go 5K, roadlizards.org
- Sept. 14: Run to Remember, angelo.edu/asufit
- Sept. 21: Family Day 5K, angelo.edu/asufit
- Oct. 2-Oct. 30: ASUFit cyclocross series, angelo.edu/asufit
