This morning Noelle and I made the drive down to Fort Collins, specifically to Lory State Park. We bought our entrance sticker and made our way to the Arthur's Rock parking lot where we hit the trail amongst the throngs of people. There were a few icy sections of trail in the shady areas, but since the ice was covered with a layer of dirt, it wasn't too slippery. As we ascended, views opened up out over Horsetooth Reservoir.
At the first trail junction we reached, we turned onto the Overlook Trail and left most of the other people behind. The Overlook Trail climbed pretty steadily,
offering more views to east.
After a short distance we found ourselves at the junction with the Fire Line Trail.
Here we started a steeper climb up to the point where we rejoined the Arthur's Rock Trail.
We took the short spur trail to the summit of Arthur's Rock and relaxed and enjoyed the view for a bit.
Then we made our way over to the Howard Trail, which we would follow back down to the car. From the Howard Trail there were lots of great views out to Horsetooth Reservoir and also some nice views back to Arthur's Rock.
It was a great hike to the iconic Arthur's Rock and a great, less crowded alternative to the Arthur's Rock Trail. We especially enjoyed the views from the Howard Trail on the descent.
After our hike we stopped at Elevated Sandwiches for lunch, and then Funkwerks for beers.
