Running Deer Natural Area

Deer in a wooded area, pausing to look over its shoulder at the camera.

As its name suggests, deer love Running Deer because of the plentiful food, water and shelter for them here. Visitors may see both mule deer and whitetail deer bedded down or running across the site. Mule deer have large ears and a black-tipped tail. Whitetail deer have smaller ears and wide, flat, bushy tails.

A nice destination at Running Deer is the White Pine Fire Lookout. The top (or cab) was part of the fire lookout tower located on White Pine Mountain, west of Fort Collins until 1967. It has been stabilized by volunteers and it serves as a wildlife viewing pavilion now. To reach the cab, use the Colorado Welcome Center trailhead and follow the trail southwest about 1 mile to the cab or fire lookout top.

Note: No dogs are allowed at Running Deer Natural Area. In alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals that have been trained to assist a person with a disability are always allowed.

Trails

Running Dear Natural Area has about 2 miles of soft surface trail. Running Deer is one of the few natural areas where no bikes or dogs are permitted. In alignment with the ADA, service animals that have been trained to assist a person with a disability are always allowed.

Dogs and bikes are allowed at Riverbend Ponds, on the north side of Prospect Road.

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 Running Deer Natural Area. Weekday visits rise and lower throughout the day, peaking at 10 a.m. and 2p.m., Weekends are busier overall, rising throughout the morning and early afternoon and peaking at noon.