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Hiking Trails Under 10 km near Fort Collins

The directory currently contains 8 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Fort Collins. Their average mapped distance is 5.1 km and average recorded ascent is 144 m (472 ft); the longest route in the set is 8.4 km.

This subset represents 73% of the 11 quality-checked routes near Fort Collins. Its average distance is 5.1 km, compared with 7.5 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 144 m (472 ft), versus 259 m (850 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set has a mapped distance of 10 km or less; no fixed completion time is implied. Within this set, 1 routes (13%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 1 (13%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

2.6 km

Button Rock Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

6 m

Stormy Peaks B17 Crash Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Easy

Colorado · United States

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
133 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Castle and ruins
Mount Margaret Trail 10-3
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Castle and ruins
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
8.4 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
26 m
Typical duration
1 hr 48 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
110 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
39 min
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
7.2 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
602 m
Typical duration
2 hr 25 min
  • Castle and ruins
Moderate

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
180 m
Typical duration
1 hr 15 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Frog Pond TrailColorado5.2 km133 m1 hr 17 minEasyJuly to September
Mount Margaret TrailColorado4.6 km25 m1 hrModerateJuly to September
Emmaline Lake TrailColorado8.4 km26 m1 hr 48 minModerateJuly to September
Stormy Peaks B17 Crash TrailColorado3.7 km6 m46 minModerateJuly to September
Bent Rock TrailColorado4.5 km110 m1 hr 6 minModerateJune to October
Button Rock TrailColorado2.6 km72 m39 minModerateJune to October
Mount McConnel Nature TrailColorado7.2 km602 m2 hr 25 minModerateJuly to September
Towhee LoopColorado4.7 km180 m1 hr 15 minModerateJune to October

Mount Margaret Trail, Frog Pond Trail, Emmaline Lake Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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