Hike the D.R. Trail in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area

D.R. Trail, named for David Rice Pulliam who donated the land to create the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, is a 3.1 mile spur off the Valley Loop Trail that climbs roughly 1,000' into Mahoney Park before it intersects with the Powerline and Ginny Trails.

To get to the start of the trail, take the Valley Loop Trail either direction (4.8 miles clockwise, 4.4 counter clockwise) in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area from the main entrance of the Natural Area, just off W County Road 32 C near Masonville, west of Fort Collins and the Horsetooth Reservoir.

To get to the entrance of the Natural Area, take West County Road 38 E west from Fort Collins over and around Horsetooth Reservoir until you get to the Masonville and the main intersection. Then go left onto Buckhorn Road and follow the signs for Bobcat Ridge.

At the top of the trail at the intersection in Mahoney Park, you can take either Powerline or Ginny Trail back down the mountain till they intersect with Valley Loop and then back to the Area entrance. 

The D.R. Trail is notable for its excellent views of the Mahoney Park Nature Bowl, its glacial erratics, and for the utter devastation the Bobcat Gulch Fire caused in 2000. 

It is also an excellent trail for trail running and mountain biking.