Current Features: Bobcat Ridge Natural Area

A season of exciting events is underway at Bobcat Ridge!

• 10:00 am-- 4 mile wildflower walk
• 10-11 am--Children's wildflower activity
• 11:30 am--Wildflowers on the Valley Loop trail
• 1:00 pm--Wildflower stroll near the parking lot
• 
  Wildflower Wonder and Waking Up from a Long Winters Nap are free and no reservations are required. Bring sunscreen, water, snacks or lunch, comfortable walking shoes, and camera. For more information, call Deborah Price at 217-3075 or email
  
  Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors! Programs for Children and Families
• Bobcat Tales- stories, hands-on activities and exploration for children, 3-7 years and their parents.
• Junior Bobcats- in-depth exploration, hands-on adventure and fun learning for children 8-12 years and parents.
• Full Moon Sense- explore adaptations of nocturnal creatures on a summer night
• Wild and Open Skies- brief astronomy program and constellation viewing with a naturalist
• 
  Details are in the brochure, Children and Family Programs Summer 2008 (pdf). Children's and family programs are free, but do REQUIRE reservations, call 970-416-2815.
  

About Bobcat Ridge Natural Area

Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, located just west of Masonville, encompasses more than 2,600 acres that span the grassland to foothill shrublands to ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests. These biologically diverse plant communities are home to significant populations of elk, mule deer, wild turkey, mountain lions, bobcats, raptors, black bears and songbirds. Several original homestead sites dot the landscape providing a story of the area’s early human use and settlement. Bobcat Ridge is open daily from dawn to dusk! See the site brochure and trail map (original, shows Ginny and DR trails conceptually, not actual alignment) (PDF 413KB) and the updated trail map(shows actual alignment of new trails).

The City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program is pleased to announce the completion and opening of two new trails at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, the Ginny Trail and the D.R. Trail. The Ginny Trail is 5.4 miles long and climbs 1,500 feet, through open, steep and rocky terrain to Mahoney Park, a beautiful meadow with interesting rock formations and great views. The Ginny Trail is open for hiking and mountain biking (closed to horses). The D.R. Trail is 3.4 miles long and climbs 1,100 feet through ponderosa pines to Mahoney Park. The D.R. Trail is open to equestrians and hikers (closed to cyclists). All the trails that were planned for Bobcat Ridge Natural Area are now open including a portion of the Powerline Road (1.5 miles, uphill only for cyclists), the Valley Loop (4.0 miles) and the Eden Valley Spur Trail (1.3 miles).

The construction of the Ginny and D.R. trails was funded in part by the Virginia D and D.R. Pulliam Charitable Trust and the City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Program's dedicated sales tax revenue. A special use permit from the Roosevelt National Forest allows portions of both trails to cross National Forest Service lands. The trails are named after Ginny and D.R. Pulliam, previous owners of the Bobcat Ridge property.
Want to learn more about how the City plans to manage Bobcat Ridge? See the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area Management Plan (PDF/2605K)

Visiting Bobcat Ridge

• Horse trailer parking is limited to 8 spaces, so if the parking lot is full, please come back another time.
• Dogs are not allowed at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area.
• Bobcat Ridge Natural Area is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

To reach Bobcat Ridge Natural Area:
Take Harmony Road west, it turns into CR 38 E. Follow CR 38 E to Masonville. Go left (south) at the Masonville Mercantile onto CR 27. Follow CR 27 about 1 mile to CR 32 C, head west about 1 mile to the parking lot. No dogs are allowed.