Hewlett Gulch Trail

Fort Collins is a beautiful tourist destination in the mountains of Colorado, offering preserves, open spaces, and trails that travel through the elevated area. Bordering the town is the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest Pawnee National Grasslands, and one of the most pupular trails that explores the area is the Hewlett Gulch Trail, which offers nearly 8 miles of natural scenes and mountain views of the area.

To get to the trail, you'll have to park at the Hewlett Gulch Trailhead, where asphalt parking, restrooms, water fountains, and benches are available to enjoy. The parking area is surrounded by vast open fields and grasslands that cover the foothills of the nearby mountain peaks. The path is made from crushed stone and compacted soil, and begins on the north side of the parking area, traveling north along Gordon Creek.

The natural path follows through patches of dense alpine and fir trees and vast areas of grasslands. For the first two miles of the trail, you and your pup can explore old homestead houses that made up a small village in the early 1900s. After this, there is a split in the trail, where the loop part of it begins, going left will continue the ascent. There will be several switchbacks, and after another mile, the trail travels over more rolling hills and mountains, with sharper inclines. The trail follows along the gulch at first for only half a mile, where you can see elevated views of the creek and travel down to sandy beaches to swim in.

After continuing the loop, the trail travels along the gulch and even over it a few times before reconnecting at the fork and descending down the mountain once more, giving you a better chance to see some natural wildlife like deer, bighorn sheep, and moose. The trail is easy going and calm, with a cool breeze that follows along the creek, and plenty of spots to play with your pup while they are off the leash. Happy trails!