1) East Poudre River, Fort Collins (Walking Tour)
Two hours, $45.00/person, (Wednesday - Saturday)* Tour includes site visits walking around Rigden Reservoir** 2) In the Footsteps of the Explorers, Fort Collins (Walking Tour) Two hours, $45.00/person, (Wednesday - Saturday)* Tour includes a trail walk at Running Deer Natural Area, Fort Collins** 3) Fort Walk - FALL 2024 Two hours, $33.00/person, (Wednesday - Saturday)* Tour includes a walk near Old Town Fort Collins** *Discount eligibility: children (ages 12 and under), seniors, and military. Tours are available Sunday-Tuesday by special appointment (minimum of 4 people), call for details. |
Tour Details
What to Bring
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East Poudre River, Fort Collins (walking tour)
Two-hour tour, Wednesday - Saturday $33.00/adults (discounts for children, seniors and veterans)
Winding their way across the Great Plains like so many ribbons, rivers and streams were vital to survival for all lifeforms that inhabited the parched expanse. For humans, watercourses also served as directional aids, tracks for travel corridors, and convenient boundaries. The Cache la Poudre was such a river. Its verdant valley was referred to as the jáaianahâw by the Arapaho people and first appear on a map of |
the region as a result of Major Stephen H. Long’s expedition of 1820. By 1835, it was being called the Cache la Poudre, or “hide the powder.”
Significant at various times, in various ways, the Poudre River has many tales to tell. From the 1820s to the 1870s this “downstream” segment factored prominently in river lore. This tour takes you around the circumference of Rigden Reservoir while stopping at several sites during the walk to relate stories of the people and events that added to its colorful history. Note - walking distance approximately two miles total. |
Where to Meet: Arapaho Bend Reservoir, 4109 E. Horsetooth Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80525
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In the Footsteps of the Explorers, Fort Collins (walking tour)
Two-hour tour, Wednesday - Saturday $33.00/adults (discounts for children, seniors and veterans)
To fully understand the vastness that encompassed the land of the Louisiana Purchase, the government of the United States organized expeditions and sent them out to probe its reaches. Beginning with the Corps of Discovery in 1804, columns of soldiers and scientists ventured into the unknown western |
country. In 1820 the first of these explorations passed into the Cache la Poudre River drainage led by a major in the U. S. Army’s topographical engineers named Stephen H. Long. On the heels of Long’s party came additional expeditions.
The junction of the Poudre River and Boxelder Creek in Running Deer Natural Area (managed by the City of Fort Collins) was singularly significant for its role as a crossing site for early exploring parties. These columns then marched along the north bank of the Poudre until they reached the foothills to the west. This tour allows you to literally walk in the footsteps of these early explorers that passed through the area two hundred years ago! Note - walking distance approximately two miles total. |
Where to Meet: Running Deer Natural Area, 3405 E. Prospect Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80525
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Fort Walk - FALL 2024