Red Mountain Open Space is a 13,500 acres park located 25 miles north of Fort Collins. It took us a hour to get there from downtown Fort Collins because Red Mountain Open Space sits directly in between I-25 and US-287. Primary activities at Red Mountain Open space are expected to include hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, nordic walking, birding, and trail running but walking leashed dogs is not allowed. Parking is expected to be free. Due to its remote location, I imagine that restroom facilities and water will be provided. Cell phone service was weak or non-existent leading up to and inside the park. The subsequent Google Map includes the approximate trails we hiked on the tour but the trails we hiked may not become public trails. Most of the trails appear to have elevation changes of less than 400 feet starting at around 6,300 feet. The management plan states that elevation on the property ranges from 5,900 feet to 7,458 feet.

The following picture contains a subset of the planned trail system. Purple trails are for hiking only and red trails are for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The complete planned trail system will includes trails that connect to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

The first trail we hiked was about 0.75 miles long with an elevation gain of 300 feet. The gain in elevation was enough to provide a stunning view of Big Hole valley as seen in the pictures below.
Red Mountain Open Space is located in an ecotone and, specifically, is a transition zone between central short grass prairie and Rocky Mountain foothills. Transition zones are important to conserve because they are biologically diverse. Plants and shrubs that can be seen near the trail include great plains yucca, rubber rabbitbrush, true mountain mahogany, plains prickly pear cactus, and fringed sage.
In addition, Red Mountain Open Space is home to mountain lions, elk, coyote, nesting golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, prairie falcons, great-horned owl, bald eagle, pronghorn, black-tailed prairie dogs, bobcat, black bear, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, and mule-deer.

Bent Rock Trail is a 2.4 mile loop that runs through a small canyon and then at the base of Table Mountain. Boxelder Creek and Sand Creek bisect the park providing an important riparian habitats for plants and animals. It is expected that Haygood Canyon at the northwest corner of the park will remain off limits to protect its ecological constituents. The following pictures are from the trail that starts from Big Hole and follows Sand Creek east through a small canyon which resulted in a 1.2 mile hike.
The canyon is embedded with interesting geological formations that are sure to be the topic of future guided naturalist hikes. Red Mountain Open Space contains geological history spread over 1.8 billion years.

In the summer, the canyon walls serve as nesting habitats for swallows but are vacated in the winter when the swallows migrate south.

The following picture was taken as we reached the eastern end of the canyon. It contains the western border of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, which is seen as a ridge linein the background.

Sinking Sun Trail

Sinking Sun trail is 1.2 mile trail that runs north/south on the eastern half of the park and was reached after exiting the aforementioned canyon. It is a rolling trail with approximately 200 feet in elevation change. Further, it is located near the planned trailhead so it it likely to be a heavily used trail.

The following picture shows the Sinking Sun trail intersecting the Big Hole Wash trail.

Big Hole Wash Trail

Big Hole Wash trail is service road that also serves as a trail. It is approximately 1.6 miles long and connects Sinking Sun trail to the trails that originate from Big Hole valley. The elevation change on this trail is around 300 feet.

North Trail Heading up Western Ridge

Our final hike was an easy 0.5 mile jaunt that followed Sand Creek up a western ridge. The following picture is of an old line shack that was used for shelter while herding sheep.

The subsequent picture shows an almost dried up Sand Creek in the background.

In sum, Red Mountain Open Space should be a popular destination for hikers, mountain bikers, birders, and equestrians of all ages and skill levels because of its vast expanse, varied terrain, and limited changes in elevation.