The ponds in the Hearthfire subdivision.

Trails Around the ‘Hood

Considering that I’ve been living in the same neighborhood for 3.5 years, you’d think that I’d have explored every square inch of trail around it by now. It is quite disgraceful, then, that I never “discovered” the recreation trail separating the nearby Fort Collins Country Club and Richards Lake despite living less than a mile away—until now. It’s especially shameful because this particular jeep trail is perhaps the most scenic in the entire area.

Below are photos from a recent run I did on it. The recreation trail is part of a three-mile loop to and from my home that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine for a short, car-less run or mountain bike ride. The scenery includes the lush, manicured lawn of the golf course, clear lakes, Horsetooth Rock, the Horsetooth mountain range and Long’s Peak (a fourteener) in the distance. Further along the clockwise loop I do are farms, horses, and wildlife. Upon returning to the Hearthfire trail in my subdivision, there are ponds and wild grasses.

I feel fortunate to be able to step outside the house and be able to marvel at all this, even if it took me a while to discover some of it.

Jeep trail behind my house.
Jeep trail behind my house.
Jeep trail going by Richards Lake.
Jeep trail going by Richards Lake.
The Fort Collins Country Club.
The Fort Collins Country Club.
Richards Lake.
Richards Lake.
Bridge over the creek in the country club.
Bridge over the creek in the country club.
Continuing on the trail, which bisects the region between the country club and Richards Lake...
Continuing on the trail, which bisects the region between the country club and Richards Lake...
...one can start to see the mountains.
...one can start to see the mountains.
Horses.
Horses.
Horses (and cars) frequent this hard-pack dirt road.
Horses (and cars) frequent this hard-pack dirt road.
The ponds in the Hearthfire subdivision.
The ponds in the Hearthfire subdivision.