Larimer County Parks and Open Land Areas and Fort Collins Natural Areas are funded by park fees and sales taxes. The sustainability and increased growth of these parks and open land areas are dependent on your continued support in the form of paying park fees, in supporting the corresponding sales tax, and through citizen stewardship. Larimer County Parks are funded by fees and permits. Each park’s primary purpose is recreation with a secondary purpose of preservation. The following is a list of areas that charge visitor fees:
- Carter Lake
- Flatiron Reservoir
- Hermit Park Open Space
- Horsetooth Mountain Open Space
- Horsetooth Reservoir
- Pinewood Reservoir
- Ramsay-Shockey Open Space
Larimer County Open Lands are funded by a county 1/4 cent sales tax on all items except food and medicine. The 1/4 cent sales tax funds the preservation of 40,143 acres of land. Each open land’s primary purpose is preservation with a secondary purpose of recreation. The following is a list of areas that are free to the public because they are partially or completely funded by the 1/4 cent sales tax:
- Cathy Fromme Prairie
- Chimney Hollow Open Space – to be opened?
- Devil’s Backbone Open Space
- Eagle’s Nest Open Space
- Fossil Creek Reservoir Regional Open Space
- Heinricy
- Homer Rouse Memorial Trail
- Lake Estes Trail
- Lions Park
- Red Mountain Open Space
- Rimrock Open Space
Fort Collins Natural Areas are partially funded by the Larimer County 1/4 cent sales tax and receive support from Colorado State University, the Poudre School District, and donors.
- Bobcat Ridge Natural Area – free
- Coyote Ridge Natural Area – free
- Foothills Trails including Reservoir Ridge Natural Area, Maxwell Natural Area, and Pineridge Natural Area – free
- Gateway Natural Area – fee/car
- Soapstone Prairie Natural Area
Two Knobby Tires 