Horsetooth in the winter.

It was a day late in January that I decided that I was going to trek the loop to and from Horsetooth rock just outside Ft. Collins, CO. Although it was in the winter months and there was snow on the ground, the weather was not really too cold. As you might imagine in Colorado this time of year, there is some snow in the shaded areas, but the paths in direct sunlight can become quite muddy.

Entering the park is easy enough, it’s six dollars per car for the day, so be prepared to spend as much time as you want hiking the trails. All in all, there are around 23 miles of paths ranging from easy to hard. I took just the six mile loop because I was somewhat pressed for time. And since this was the main attraction, It all worked out quite nicely.

The entrance is marked with a map, which is good because there are quite a few trails to choose. Not so many leading from the parking lot, but they can branch off and lead you further out than you had planned, which could be dangerous.

Take a moment to survey the cards and the map just to ensure you know where to go (there are handheld maps as well if you desire). After looking at the map and deciding on my hike, I set off.

The beginning of the trail started off easy, just a wide path leading at a very slight incline to the first switchback and then the process was repeated until the next left which began a steeper incline and led into the hills.

The steepness of this new incline was not hard, really, but it does go on for a bit and your muscles may feel the slight increase in exertion. The view to your right is Horsetooth lake and to the left, more or less, a rock wall. I mead it to the bend, encountering some snow (the first on the trail). Yes, even in January, most of the time, there is not much snow until you head for the mountains. The first thing you encounter is really more of a forrest, you know, just the trees surrounding the rocks. The path at this point is still pretty easy and wide, but its starting to toughen.

After this point, the path resembles more of a trail and becomes narrower, rockier, and more root filled. Its not treacherous, but you need to watch your feet. You will find yourself winding through the forrest on an even increasing incline. Sometimes you will be skirting the edge of the mountain, sometimes your heading straight up through it, but no matter where you are during the hike, the views are amazing and the trek can be somewhat difficult.

Now because it was winter time, there is snow and ice in a lot of places, certain inclines can become fairly difficult to traverse. Although the regular path areas have been tramped down from the foot traffic, creating a hardened icy surface, there are always different ways around. Mind you not to go off trail, which can be dangerous to your person and damage wildlife, but rather look for hand holds, divots in the ground, or protruding rock to gain a better foothold. These will help you pass through the more difficult passages and keep you safer. That being said, there were some areas that remained harder to get through and up.

Because of the ice and snow, I felt my best bet was to just slowly take each step one by one, ensuring a stable foothold before engaging movement. If you have one, a trekking pole can be helpful when traversing the ice and even for taking some pressure off your knees on the steeper inclines and declines. While the winter weather was nice on the day of my hike and the snow and ice were not too permeating or imposing, some shaded parts of the path were fairly covered (and those needed to be treaded lightly and carefully), which did add difficulty and time to the trip. But all in all, the trail was clear and easy to follow.

After hiking for about a mile through the more wooded area, I noticed that the trail began to climb higher. Sometimes while in the forrest, it can be hard to see the rises coming or to even see the hills and mountains closest to you. But even if you can’t see them, the steeper inclines of the new, more numerous, and length of said inclines, you can pretty well figure out what is happening. And sometimes placed stairs can help you out as well.

As you first leave the trees, you almost suddenly find yourself on top of a rocky ridge and to the right in the short distance, was the horse tooth rock exposure. To the direct left, there is a large outcropping of rocks, in front are some of the fourteeners deep into the distance, and to your right, the rocks that look like a horses tooth.

Its interesting really, it (to me) seems that I may have not noticed that it looked like a horses tooth, but then again the person who named it may have had more involvement with horses. But then again and with further contemplation, I kinda think it looks like a tooth. To the left and in the middle of the rocks, lay the Rocky mountains, which from the vantage point (over 7,000 ft up), they are even more beautiful. Viewing the mountains from multiple different locations and elevations creates a fuller picture of the grandeur they hold, this trail gives you many of those views and more.

To the right of the tooth, the trail winds up to the far end of the rock and up into it.

Once near the top of the rock formation, you will come into a narrow trail which abruptly ends and your only option seems up into the tooth on your left when facing the Rockies in the distance. At this point, the trail was not marked at all, just several different options to climb through the rocks. Although the trail was not there anymore, I could see ways to traverse the rocks and the simple fact that the people in front of me had all disappeared, I assumed left up into the rocks was a good idea.

After inspecting the different points of entry, I decided on a path and started the climb to the top. To be safe, you should ensure that every hand hold and footing are stable and secure for this climb. Its not dangerous or treacherous, but mistakes can be made. The final accent only took a couple of minutes, but once at the top, there were ample places in the rocks to settle down and view the majestic scenes of the mountains.

I spent some time at the top, just taking it all in. But I had to leave sometime so I decided to head down. You have to take the same path down so that meant that I had to climb back down the rocks. This was not as hard as feared (gloves were nice protection for my hands) and I was soon heading back down. The trip down was fine, but be warned, its almost entirely down hill and your knees take the brunt. Walking poles could help to alleviate that.

Over all, the hike to Horsetooth rock was fun and enjoyable. It can be strenuous on the way up, but is very worth it.