The Poudre River Canyon Fort Collins Colorado

The Poudre Canyon is west of Ft Collins on US Highway 14. A spectacular drive featuring the Cache La. Poudre River which has been designated a wild and scenic river.

The name Cache La Poudre means powder hiding place. If you find it please let someone know. You see the legend is, that there were a group of French fur trappers caught in a large snowstorm. They had a large quantity of powder with them. They decided to hide the powder along the river to lighten their load and to help insure their survival. The myth has yet to turn into truth.

The canyon is a good and well maintained two lane paved highway. From the mouth of the canyon to the top at Cameron Pass is a 67 mile drive of beautiful scenery.  There are a few summer resorts like Rustic and Poudre Park on the way up to explore. Both these towns have full time residents but the primary business is the visitor. There are also many forest service campgrounds along the highway for both tents and RV's. Picnic areas are also frequent. There are many places along the route that are easy to pull off for viewing and many parking areas.

The most popular activities in the canyon are hiking, river rafting and fishing. During the winter at the higher elevations there is good cross country skiing. Also available at the Arrowhead Lodge Visitor Center is information and access to the Comanche Peaks Wilderness and further up is Cache La Poudre Wilderness. There is also information on the Mt Zirkel Wilderness area which is just over Cameron Pass on the west side of the divide.

The canyon is also the starting point for many popular trail heads. Just Five mile up the canyon and on the right is the entrance to Gateway Mountain Park a part of the Fort Collins city park system. In this park there are three different trails mostly moderate walks which anyone can enjoy with nice picnic areas.

Further on up the canyon about 7 miles below the top is where the Poudre River actually enters the canyon from the south. The river begins at Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, at the  continental divide. A small lake named appropriately, Poudre Lake, is the headwaters. Where the river starts it runs under the highway and is 18 inches wide and 4 inches deep. There is a trail that starts at the headwaters and goes all the way down to the Poudre Canyon or up depending on your preference. financial

Continuing on up near the Joe Wright Reservoir there is a road to Chambers Lake and the Lodge at Glendevey This county road which is all dirt is the entrance to one off the nicest valleys in the state. It is the Laramie River Valley. In every season this is a beautiful area. Thick with moose, hidden camping areas and trails into the Rawah Wilderness area. In the fall there is spectacular color. The road eventually comes out above Laramie Wyoming.

Back at the Poudre River the highway leads past Joe Wright Reservoir and crosses the continental divide at Cameron Pass. As the road declines toward Walden the next stop is the Moose Visitor Center. Here is a center dedicated to the re-introduction of the moose to this area. This area of Colorado has some of the very best moose viewing available.

From there you continue to the small town of Walden. A beautiful drive. From Walden you can  go south to Granby,  then to Grand Lake  and back over Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park. A short visit to Estes Park and then return to Ft Collins.

Another choice is to turn North through Walden. Stop at the little cafe with the big steel moose outside. Good food. Then north to highway127 and turn right and head for Laramie Wyoming and return to Ft. Collins on US 287.

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