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SnowshoeingArapaho Bend Hike
Interpretive Hike
Featured Route
Great for a quick escape from the city life, take in views of the foothills reflecting across the water while walking along the ponds’ edges. Watch for over 80 species of birds that use the site and many smaller mammals that frequent the area including turtles catching some sun along the shore. Users can also take a short trip to the historic Strauss Cabin which can be accessed by crossing the bridge on the north end of the natural area.
This 2 mile route combines two loops that can be completed together or separately. The first loop circles Little and Big Bass Ponds (1.2 miles). The second loop is 2 miles and goes around Rigden Reservoir, for a total of 3.2 miles.
- Loop
- History
- Hiking
- Horseback Riding
Photos
Elevation Profile
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Timeline
1
This trail is most easily accessed from Arapaho Bend’s Horsetooth Rd. parking lot. Head south on the paved trail. Little Bass Pond and Big Bass Pond will be on your left.
As you walk, find a place to take a break and close your eyes. Imagine what this place looked like 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 500 years ago. What animals may have been here? What might the river look like? What people could have here? Places like this have a long history of changing landscapes and changing people. Arapaho Bend Natural Area has been a protected space since 1995 but this land has a deep history before that. As you visit today, think about the stories this land could tell if it could talk. Who would have lived here? Why would they choose this area ? The history of Arapaho Bend Natural Area and the land that surrounds it keep us connected with the past and the future of this special place.
Start Hiking (Little Bass Pond and Big Bass Pond)
For 0.4mi
The landscape in this area looked quite a bit different 100-200 years ago. The combination of the plains meeting the foothills alongside the Poudre River attracted many humans in the past to this area. Native American tribes, including the Arapaho and Cheyenne, frequented this area as it was seen as a good location for hunting. The diversity of the natural world attracted living things of all kinds including lots of different species of plants and animals.. What kind of animals do you think called this area home then? Who do you see living here now?
2
At 0.4 miles, turn left off the paved trail and follow the trail between some of the ponds.
Continue Hiking (Little Bass Pond and Big Bass Pond)
For 0.9mi
As you walk along this section of trail you’ll see the Poudre River to your right. This river has been the lifeline of this area for centuries; providing life and habitat for plants, animals, and humans alike. As European settlers came to this area in the 1800s during the Gold Rush, the Arapaho tribe and their influential leader, Friday, worked to maintain good relations with the settlers in order to maintain their claim on the north bank of the Poudre River. Friday was successful in maintaining these good relations for only a short time before tensions rose between the settlers and indigenous tribes. Eventually the Native Americans were driven out of the Poudre River Valley and were forced to move north and east into Wyoming and onto the eastern plains. Although many people have come and gone from this area, the Poudre remains.
3
Head to the north and over the bridge to the Rigden Reservoir to continue your hike.
4
George Strauss built this cabin in 1864 and tended a large garden nearby which he used to supply vegetables to local community members, as well as immigrants passing though Colorado. The cabin stood well past Strauss’s death during the 1904 flood. It stood until 1999, when it was burned down by local teenagers. You can still see the ruins of the cabin along the trail as well as evidence of both stone and wooden sections that were added to the cabin by Strauss. What do you think this area of Colorado may have looked like when Strauss lived here? Where do you think he had his garden?
Continue Hiking (Rigden Reservoir)
For 2.1mi
This flat 2 mile loop with nice views of the foothills is most easily accessed from Arapaho Bend’s northern parking area. Visitors can often see water birds on the reservoir including bald eagles, pelicans, and many species of ducks- bring your binoculars. Most of the trail is paved but there is a section of graded soft surface trail/ gravel road. There is no access to the reservoir shore or water as the slopes are dangerous. Interpretive signs along the trail explain the historical significance of the area to Native Americans and settlers.
5
The land you walked upon today contains a long history. There are the stories of Friday and the Arapaho Tribe, the stories of George Strauss and his cabin along the river, and the stories of the variety of life that happens along the Poudre. Nature gives us a connection to our past and future; conserving areas like this allows us to continue to add to its story.
Trip Reports
