Blue Sky Trail Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado

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Blue Sky Trail Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado

Horsetooth Mountain Park ,m Rimrock Open Space and Devil’s Backbone Open Space are joined together creating the Blue Sky Trail for mountain bikers delight.  You can take extended rides starting in any of those areas and take just one area or you can ride the whole trail network.  It is now possible to ride all the way from Lory State Park (northwest of Fort Collins) to Devil’s Backbone (west of Loveland) and stay on single-track almost for the entire trip!  The trail surface is very smooth and doesn’t present a technical challenge but you will have a hard time beating the view on this pleasure ride. 

The options for connecting with the other trails make this a truly enjoyable trail to ride.  There are three trail access points, and numerous ride options so you can choose almost any route you want and still have a great ride.

The Blue Sky trail runs North - South through a valley between Horsetooth Reservoir and Devil’s Backbone. Midway along the trail, you can access the Coyote Ridge / Rimrock open space areas to the east, and the Indian Summer trail to the west.  Having these options give you a variety of different rides on different days if you are planning to be in the area for a few days.  If not, then you can do the whole thing in one day and be really, really pooped out!

On the Coyote Ridge/Rimrock connector you will drop to the valley floor for awhile to avoid a raptor nesting area in the cliffs.  After reaching the west side of the valley, the Indian Summer trail forks off to the right, and climbs about midway up the mountain to the west before curving south and dropping to the valley floor again. This trail offers a chance to do some climbing, and some nice views of Longs Peak, the Indian Peaks, and the city to the east.

If you are planning to ride Horsetooth Mountain trails you will need to pay the fee at the entrance.  This terrain is steep and rocky so plan on an interesting ride.

Horsetooth Mountain Park is located approximately 5 miles west of Fort Collins on County Rd. 38E in the foothills of Horsetooth Reservoir.

Directions to Horsetooth:

Get off I-25 at exit 265 (Harmony Road). Take Harmony Road west until it reaches Taft Hill Road. Here Harmony Road becomes County Road 38E, continue straight. Follow County Road 38E around the south end of Horsetooth Reservoir, and at the top of the second hill, watch for the park entrance on the right.

Coyote Ridge and Rimrock Valley open spaces are managed by Fort Collins Natural Areas and Larimer County Parks and Open Lands. With the recent opening of the Rimrock Valley open space, a great trail system now exists here for mountain biking. The Rimrock Valley open space extends north all the way to County Road 38E where it rounds the tip of Inlet Bay (which is very close to Horsetooth Mountain Park), and a trail extending to the end.  The Indian Creek Ranch open space is also part of the trail ways and links Rim Rock with Devil’s Backbone open space to the south.  Now you will be able to ride from Lory State Park northwest of Fort Collins to Highway 34 West of Loveland.

Directions to Coyote Ridge and Rimrock Valley:

Get off I-25 at exit 265 (Harmony Road). Take Harmony Road west until it reaches Taft Hill Road. Turn left (south) and continue approximately 1 mile past Trilby road. Watch for the Coyote Ridge parking lot & trail head on the right…