Cathy Fromme Prairie - Birding and Nordic Walking

Cathy Fromme Prairie Trail Map and Parking

Cathy Fromme Prairie is a natural area managed by the City of Fort Collins and located in the southwest corner of Fort Collins, CO. It has two free parking lots with one on South Taft Hill Road and the other on South Shields Street. Both trailheads have restrooms and free pet waste bags, but no water. Primary activities are hiking, cycling, nordic walking, walking leashed dogs, and birding. Jogging strollers and wheelchairs should also do well on the paved concrete trail. Cell phone service is strong while in the park.

Raptor Observation Building

Cathy Fromme Prairie is an ideal place to view raptors because it has an observation building with pictures and information that can guide you in raptor spotting and identification. The raptor observation building is located in the southeast corner of the park near the South Shield Street parking lot.

The following picture shows the view from the raptor observation building. Raptors come to Cathy Fromme Prairie to feed on the prairie dogs. Raptors that can be seen include golden eagles, bald eagles, ferruginous hawks, rough-legged hawks, red-tailed hawks, and Swainson's hawks.

The following picture highlights the differences between eagles, hawks, and falcons. It is one of many informational items that can be found in the raptor observation building and along the trail.

Fossil Creek Trail

Fossil Creek trail is a 2.5 mile paved concreted path that is mostly flat and lies at about 5,500 feet in elevation. The paved trail is very wide which makes it great for nordic walking. In addition, it is an excellent place to bring kids to bike or hike since the trail is wide enough to support passersby.

The Fossil Creek trail has been proposed to connect to a trail by the same name in Fossil Creek Park which is on Lemay south of Harmony. If connected, the trail would likely be about 4 miles long.

In sum, the Fossil Creek trail is suitable for people of all ages, ideal for frequent dog walking and/or running, and conducive for raptor birding.