Bobcat Ridge Natural Area: Ginny Trail

Bobcat Ridge Natural Area: Ginny Trail

One of the most recent additions to the Fort Collins natural areas system, the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area is a superb slice of foothills southwest of Horsetooth Mountain Park near Masonville that almost makes you feel like you are in the red rock canyon country of Utah. The soaring cliffs and foothills, pretty rolling terrain, and quiet invite reverie. Arrive early if you want solitude. It is also sun drenched with little shade and so is not a good midday summer hike but is ideal for cooler spring and fall days. It offers easy mountain biking too—at least until you reach the eroded sections where the rocks protrude. The recently opened Ginny Trail is a moderate hike and challenging mountain biking adventure that features steep switchbacks and lots of boulders. It could also be called the “Bobcat Ridge Fire Trail” because its journey onto the higher slopes is through the middle of the area scorched by an intense fire that burned 70 percent of the forested portion of Bobcat Ridge Natural Area in 2000. The plant life is recovering, but the experience is visceral since visitors can still smell the ashes. The stark scenery is dramatic and offers a transitional sort of beauty that reminds us that the natural world is one of constant change. The trail offers commanding views of the red rock cliffs, the west face of Horsetooth Rock, and the foothills and plains stretching out to the horizon.

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