Coyote Ridge Natural Area

Experience the foothills meeting the plains at this beautiful site. Trail connections to Rimrock Open Space, Prairie Ridge Natural Area, and the Blue Sky Trail make Coyote Ridge Natural Area quite popular with recreationists who shuttle vehicles to have an excellent mountain biking, horseback riding or long distance hiking experience. Visitors often see mule deer and coyotes, and sometimes mountain lions, bears and rattlesnakes. Rabbitbrush, mountain mahogany and three-leaf sumac provide habitat for songbirds, lizards, rabbits, deer mice and foxes. The approximately 600-foot rise in elevation makes for nice views of the Front Range and eastern plains as well as the Cheyenne Ridge to the north. At the top, views to the west are gorgeous.

Note: This is one of the few Fort Collins natural areas on which dogs are not allowed. In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals that have been trained to assist a person with a disability are allowed.

Trails

There are 4.1 miles of natural surface trails with an elevation gain of about 600 feet.

The Coyote Ridge Trail connects to Devils Backbone Open Space, Loveland's Prairie Ridge Natural Area and the Blue Sky Trail.

The Hidden Clues Trail is a 0.25 mile interpretive loop located about 1 mile into the site. The interpretive loop is wheelchair accessible. The City will make arrangements for groups of persons with limited mobility to have vehicle access to the accessible trail loop. Call 970-416-2815 or email naturalareas@fortcollins.gov for further information.

The Ridge to Ridge trail is 1.8 miles with a connection to Prairie Ridge Natural Area.

View the Natural Areas Map(PDF, 25MB) for more information. This document is provided for printing purposes. For assistance viewing or reading this document, please contact the City's ADA Coordinator via email adacoordinator@fortcollins.gov or phone: 970-416-4254.

Plan Your Visit

Popular times.

Graph of popular times at Coyote Ridge Natural Area. Weekday visits rise from morning, with a steady volume from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Weekends are busier overall, with the highest use late morning through mid-afternoon, especially noon–3 p.m.