Sunday, March 19, 2023

Riverbend Ponds Natural Area

I've been wanting to get down to Fort Collins for a day of hiking, eating and exploring for a couple months now. Today Noelle, Sierra, Mom T, Rosie and I finally made the trip down into Colorado. We arrived at the northern Riverbend Ponds parking area off of Timberline Road. 


We immediately hit the trail passing by some of the namesake ponds, water-filled remnants of sand mines.


 Parts of the trail system that we chose passed between two different ponds on a narrow dirt path.


Looking west across some of the ponds were really nice views of the mountains, including Longs Peak and Mount Meeker which are quite the landmark in Northern Colorado.


The trails are easy, being relatively flat, with lots of great views.


We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife, just a few ducks and Canada geese. I would love to come back when there's more to be animals to be seen and the plants are green and flowering. Still, I think we all enjoyed stretching our legs on the trails here.


We made our way to the Prospect Street parking area and started back to the car. Along the way we took a side trip through a wetland on a wooden boardwalk.



By the time we made it back to the car, we were all hungry for lunch. We opted for the Colorado Room and were not disappointed by the delicious sliders.

A mural in the outdoor seating area at the Colorado Room


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