Trails · Soapstone Prairie Natural Area
Towhee Trail
A mellow ridge walk across the vast shortgrass prairie of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area — big skies, pronghorn and deer, the reintroduced Laramie Foothills bison herd, and the 10,000-year-old Lindenmeier archaeological site nearby.
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Soapstone Prairie is a different kind of wild — not peaks and pines but 28 square miles of rolling shortgrass prairie and hogback ridges, about 25 miles north of Fort Collins near the Wyoming line. The Towhee Trail is its gentle introduction: roughly three miles that climb gradually to a ridgetop with wide-open views across the grasslands, a good chance at spotting pronghorn and mule deer, and often a look at part of the Laramie Foothills bison herd that roams a large fenced range spanning Soapstone and the neighboring Red Mountain Open Space.
This is also deep human history: the Lindenmeier site here is a National Historic Landmark where 1930s Smithsonian excavations documented Folsom-culture people living on this prairie more than 10,000 years ago. Soapstone is a City of Fort Collins natural area, open dawn to dusk March through November (closed December–February), with leashed dogs allowed on designated trails. It's high, open, and shadeless — bring water and watch the weather and the rattlesnakes.
Trail Facts
Difficulty
Easy–Moderate
Length
~3 mi
Landscape
Shortgrass prairie & hogback ridges
Wildlife
Pronghorn, mule deer, bison herd
History
Near the Lindenmeier site (National Historic Landmark)
Dogs
Allowed on leash (designated trails)
Season
Open Mar–Nov, dawn–dusk (closed Dec–Feb)
Manager
City of Fort Collins Natural Areas
Getting There
From Fort Collins, take I-25 north to Exit 288 (Buckeye Road / CR-82), then follow the signs north and east to the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area entrance (about 25 miles; the last stretch is gravel). The area is open dawn to dusk March–November and closed December–February. Vault toilets at the trailheads; no water — bring your own.
| 0.0 mi | Soapstone Prairie trailhead |
| ~1.5 mi | Gradual climb to the ridge — big prairie vistas |
| ~3.0 mi | Loop back across the grassland |
Know Before You Go
- Seasonal. Soapstone Prairie is closed December through February — open dawn to dusk the rest of the year.
- Bison country. Give the herd a very wide berth; never approach — they're wild and fast.
- Protected history. The Lindenmeier archaeological site is a National Historic Landmark — stay on trails and leave everything as you find it.
- Hot & exposed. No shade and no water on the prairie — carry plenty, and watch for afternoon storms and rattlesnakes.
- Dogs on leash. Allowed on designated trails — pack out waste.
Built by Many Hands — Give a Little Back
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- Poudre Wilderness Volunteers — trail patrols & the official trail description Donate →
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- Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest (USFS) — the public land itself Support →
- OpenStreetMap contributors — the Street basemap Donate →
- Google & USGS — trailhead location, ratings & topographic maps
Trail details compiled by the Red Feather Lakes Travel Guide from the sources above. Photography by us — more of our own trail images coming as we hike them.