May 27, 2021 - Horsetooth Falls Hike

We have lived in Fort Collins for more than 40 years and this was the first time we hiked to Horsetooth Falls!

It was a beautiful afternoon – 70 degrees and sunny – and there were lots of folks on the trail, but it didn’t seem too crowded. About 3/4 of a mile into the trail we encountered this fella. I walked past him as he came out onto the trail. Tobey was behind me and stopped. His rattle was loud and he was not happy with all the folks!So we had a dilemma – Tobey on one side of the trail, me on the other – and lots of folks behind us on both sides. A guy on my side of the snake broke a large branch off and finally got it to move a little off the trail and Tobey and I took off. This rattler was not happy!It is springtime in Colorado and the snakes love sunning themselves.

We arrived at the falls after 1.2 miles. The falls were pretty when we got there. We have had lots of rain, so they were flowing pretty good. They aren’t huge, but it was fun.We continued on the Loop trail back to the trailhead parking. The wildflowers were blooming.We had great views back over the area.We could see back to Horsetooth Reservoir and see lots of boats out on the lake with people enjoying this beautiful day!Our loop trail hike was 3.1 miles and we were happy to have done it. Cross another one off the bucket list!