Lory State Park is Fort Collins’ backyard foothills escape: 2,492 acres of ponderosa pine, grassy valleys and red sandstone hogbacks along the west shore of Horsetooth Reservoir near Bellvue. More than 28 miles of hiking trails lead to waterfalls, meadows and the granite knob of Arthur’s Rock, and mountain bikers, horseback riders and birders all have their own reasons to come back again and again.

Long before it was a park, this valley was ranch country. Sandstone quarries operated in the area as early as the 1870s, and when the Bureau of Reclamation built Horsetooth Reservoir between 1937 and 1949 as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the water rose along the park’s eastern edge. In 1967 the State of Colorado bought about 2,600 acres from the Howard family, and in 1975 the park was named for Dr. Charles A. Lory, a longtime president of what is now Colorado State University. Today Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages it as a day-use park with a few hike-in backcountry campsites, so the trails stay quiet and wild even though downtown Fort Collins is only a short drive away.

The signature hike is the Arthur’s Rock Trail, a steady 1.7-mile climb through a rocky gulch and open ponderosa forest to a summit with sweeping views over the reservoir, Fort Collins and the plains. Families can try the short Waterfall Trail or the Well Gulch Nature Trail, and the East Valley Trail rolls gently along the base of the foothills. Lory is a favorite with mountain bikers: about 23.5 miles of trails are open to bikes, and the free Corral Center Mountain Bike Park packs dirt jumps, a pump track and a skills area into 69,600 square feet. Riders on horseback have more than 21 miles of trail plus the only public equestrian cross-country course in northern Colorado. Bring binoculars, too, because more than 175 bird species have been recorded here, from lark buntings and western meadowlarks to hawks and eagles soaring along the ridges.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers free entry to every state park on Fresh Air Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving, which makes it a great day for a post-turkey hike up Arthur’s Rock. As the days get shorter, remember that the park closes at sunset, and in winter several trails are good for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing when there’s enough snow. Check the Lory State Park page for trail conditions and closures before you go.