The construction of the Poudre River Trail through Fort Collins has been completed. With a public opening of the last segment planned for Monday, November 25, the Northern Colorado region is close to having full connectivity from Bellvue to Greeley via the Poudre River Trail (PRT).

The final section of paved trail in Fort Collins runs southeast from Colorado State University’s Environmental Learning Center (ELC), connecting to the existing trail on the north side of Rigden Reservoir. Separate trail segments connecting from Arapaho Bend Natural Area to I-25, and from the ELC to the Great Western Railroad Crossing were also recently completed. With these trail segment completions, users will now be able to continuously travel the PRT from Bellvue to Timnath.

“The City of Fort Collins is fortunate to have many valuable partnerships in our community who have helped us bring the Poudre River Trail to completion,” says Greg Oakes, landscape architect for the City of Fort Collins, and co-project manager. “I’m proud to be a part of a legacy project like this, and excited for all the benefits it will bring to those who enjoy using the trail.”

The first segment of the Poudre River Trail in Northern Colorado was completed in 1978. Work has been ongoing since that time in communities along the Front Range. The more recent trail connections are made possible thanks to a $2 million Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Connect Initiative Program grant, awarded in 2019, and partnerships with the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, City of Fort Collins, the towns of Windsor and Timnath, as well as the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“We are very thankful to the many collaborators involved in trail building, including Colorado State University and the Great Western Railroad (OmniTrax). They are integral partners who enabled the City to construct this portion of trail on their lands and complete these connections,” says Dave “DK” Kemp, senior trails planner and co-project manager. “Our partnerships provided a unique opportunity to build a city trail on state land and on, and along, a historic, active rail line.”

As construction timelines are finalized on remaining PRT segments in the region, a celebratory event will be announced in coordination with partner organizations in the future.

To learn more about this project, visit fcgov.com/parkplanning/poudretrail.

About the Poudre River Trail Regional Initiative and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)

The Poudre River Trail began in local segments across northern Colorado decades ago and is a beloved recreational amenity and vital community corridor. After 40 years in the making, this special regional trail will connect northern Colorado communities diagonally from Bellvue to Greeley, providing 45 miles of continuous, paved, multi-use trail running east and west of I-25, linking communities and open spaces.

With the help of a $2 million Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Connect Initiative grant, Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins will close the remaining gaps throughout the end of 2024 and 2025. GOCO’s past support helped to connect linkages from Windsor to Greeley in 2012. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds into partner-led conservation and recreation projects statewide. GOCO has cited the project as an important contribution to the state’s larger vision of the Colorado Front Range Trail that will connect communities from Wyoming to New Mexico.

At completion, the regional trail will include 45 miles of continuous non-motorized trail connecting Bellvue, Fort Collins, Timnath, Windsor, and Greeley. This includes a new bridge and pedestrian trail underpass along I-25.

Extensive public input has been sought over the past 40 years, and this project continues to be a priority for residents of Larimer and Weld counties who consistently value trails and the effort to link our communities. The trail generally follows the path of the Cache la Poudre River, which provides an intact natural experience, even as lands around the river are developed. Completion of the Poudre River Trail ensures that our community members have an easy, accessible connection to nature no matter where they live.