Fort Collins & The Cache La Poudre Canyon

Hiking the Royal Arch Trail motivated us to keep exploring Colorado. Since our legs were a bit sore from the hike, we wanted to take it easy and have a low-key day. David and I have yet to venture out north of Loveland, so we decided to take a day trip to Fort Collins and the Cache la Poudre Canyon.

Fort Collins was such an adorable, quaint town. The neighborhoods were lined with gorgeous mature trees (something I miss from back home) and the downtown was an elevated version of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall. We wandered around, exploring the eclectic shops and embellished alleys. We were also keeping an eye out for popular places to eat lunch after our drive through the canyon.

Poudre Canyon Road zigzagged through the towering rock walls and rolling hills. There were subtle changes in the river the further we drove into the canyon. On the outskirts, the broad river leisurely carried people in their inner tubes. As the canyon narrowed, tame rapids were gently bobbing rafters around in the water. Pretty soon the river was gushing out of slot canyons with a few brave kayakers maneuvering their way through.

David and I got our feet wet at a couple pullouts, and walked across a long wooden bridge hovering over the river. We decided to turn around at Rustic, which consisted of one convenience store and a campground. We grabbed a couple burgers at Austin’s American Grill in Fort Collins before heading back home, planning a possible return trip to go tubing.