Last call for hiking at Soapstone Prairie! Soapstone Prairie Natural Areas is managed by the City of Fort Collins. Every year the natural area closes to recreational use from December 1st through March 31at for wintering mammals. Today, I would take advantage of the last day to visit for 2023.
The drive south through Cheyenne, Wyoming was uneventful. I took the Buckeye Road exit off of I-25 and headed west, then north to Soapstone Prairie. Today was my second visit to the natural area. Last time I visited was in November of 2021 when I hiked the Mahogany Loop. This time I would be hiking from the south trailhead on the Pronghorn Loop.
I parked at the trailhead, and hit the trail,
immediately crossing the access road and heading east into the prairie.
Along the course of the 9 mile loop, the trail passes through several stiles.
Throughout the hike, I would contend with patches of drifted snow covering the trail. The sometimes deeply drifted snow made the normally easy hike a bit more difficult. One of the highlights of the hike was the wildlife I encountered along the way. I saw a pretty large herd of pronghorn,
along with several prairie dog towns.
Besides the wildlife, there is an interesting structure covered with corrugated metal. Some type of cowboy or shepherds shack, I suppose.
Artifacts like square nails lay scattered on the ground nearby the structure. I took a quick look and replaced this nail where I had found it.
Nearby to the shack was a very tall stone cairn. I thought the trail would pass by it, but it didn't. I was only able to observe it from a distance.
Once I had finished with my hike, I made the drive out of the natural area, passing the bison herd in a fenced pasture as I made my way out.
I would guess I was the last person to hike the Pronghorn Loop for 2023.
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