First Paved Trail Connecting Fort Collins and Loveland Opens

The first paved trail connecting Loveland and Fort Collins is now open to the public.

Elected officials and staff from Larimer County, City of Loveland and City of Fort Collins gathered at a section of the new trail south of Carpenter Road to cut the ribbon and welcome people to the new trail. After the ribbon cutting, several of them hopped on bikes for a tour of the 2-mile, multi-use trail.

Where is the Trail?

The Colorado Front Range Trail - Loveland to Fort Collins Connection runs between Lemay Avenue and Timberline Road on the east side of the cities. From south to north, it extends from Loveland’s Recreation Trail just west of Boyd Lake State Park to the City of Fort Collins’ Fossil Creek Trail at Carpenter Road.

A partnership among Larimer County, Loveland and Fort Collins will manage the $1.2 million trail. By using this new trail connection, people can go from the 35 miles of paved trails in Fort Collins’ system to the 18 miles of trails in Loveland’s system without hopping off their bikes or getting in a vehicle. The trail is open to foot traffic and non-motorized bicycles.

How Was it Paid For?

Grants of $450,000 from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and $350,000 from Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s State Trails Program covered two-thirds of the trail’s cost. The cities and county made up the difference based on the proportional costs of trail construction within each jurisdiction. The homeowners’ associations and other entities that granted easements for the trail also made construction possible.