Horsetooth Falls a refreshing hike for whole family near Fort Collins

If you’re looking for a hike that’s great for your next family-trip to Fort Collins, look no further. The Horsetooth Falls trail takes hikers to the base of a beautiful free-falling waterfall with the option to adventure upwards to the top of the fall.

If you’re looking to hike to the base of this fall, you’ll be traveling approximately 2.2 miles round trip, according to AllTrails. The elevation gain falls around 400 feet – there’s an uphill, but it’s manageable. AllTrails ranks this trek as “easy.”

The trail starts off with a slight uphill from the Horsetooth Mountain Park parking lot just outside of Fort Collins. From there, the trail climbs until a fork is met – one path heading to the top of Horsetooth Mountain (a much more strenuous hike) and the other to the falls.

After opting to take the route to the falls, you’ll find that the trail winds downhill through grassy hillsides. Eventually, you’ll cross a bridge that travels over a small creek, reaching your destination a few minutes later.

Easy-to-follow, not too strenuous, and home to a beautiful natural wonder, the Horsetooth Falls hike is a fun Colorado hike for all levels. It’s dog friendly if the dogs are on a leash and you’ve got a good chance at spotting wildlife (we saw multiple deer mid-day).

Horsetooth Mountain Park is also home to many more trails that are easy to explore with a map thanks to great signage. Here’s a look at the route to Horsetooth Falls.

If you’re headed to Horsetooth Mountain Park, know that parking is quite limited and that there’s a small entrance fee. When we visited, this meant paying $9 and waiting roughly 5 minutes for space to open up.

Follow along with more of Spencer's adventures on Instagram at @spence.outside