Martin Luther King Jr. Day Office Closure
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices, including park visitor centers, will be closed for the state holiday, Monday, Jan. 19.
Lory State Park
State Park in Bellvue, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to sunset
Office: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily or as staffing allows
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
708 Lodgepole Drive
Bellvue, CO 80512
United States
Lory State Park
State Park in Bellvue, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to sunset
Office: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily or as staffing allows
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
708 Lodgepole Drive
Bellvue, CO 80512
United States
Navigate to:
A person on horseback, riding through the grass
Welcome to Lory State Park
Embark on an adventure at Lory State Park! Enjoy mountain biking, hiking, picnicking and horseback riding. Located near Fort Collins and next to Horsetooth Reservoir, the park offers stunning foothills scenery. Moving through rolling valleys and mountainous hillsides, the 28.1 miles of trails generally have an incline of no more than 12 percent.
2,574
acres
6
campsites
21
picnic sites
28.1
miles of trails
Accessing the Park
Directions
From Fort Collins
Take US 287 north to County Road 54G (LaPorte). Turn left onto CR52E/Rist Canyon Rd. Continue west and turn left onto County Road 23. Continue south and take a right on Lodgepole Drive (CR 25G). The park is approximately 1.6 miles up Lodgepole Drive on the left.
The Lory Visitor Center is located at the north end of the park.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, or as staffing allows.
Closures
Lory State Park closes trails due to muddy conditions on a regular basis to prevent unnecessary erosion, widening/braiding, and hazardous conditions. Find the most up-to-date information regarding trail closures and park conditions within the Lory State Park section of the Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app.
Find more Lory Trails information on the Park Highlights page.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10-$12 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
This region is home to over 175 species of birds, both migratory and resident. You'll find grassland species like lark bunting, horned lark and western meadowlark, as well as raptors, waterfowl and shorebirds drawn to Horsetooth Reservoir's open waters and the park's wetland and shoreline areas. You might also spot mule deer, coyotes, raccoons, striped skunks, Abert's squirrels, cottontail rabbits, porcupines, ground squirrels and red foxes in the area.
Bird, plant and wildlife guides may be available at the park book store. You can also use Lory State Park's iNaturalist app observations for Android and iPhone. iNaturalist is a free online social network and citizen science platform that allows users to record and share observations of biodiversity. By uploading photos or sounds of wild organisms, you can get help identifying species from a global community of naturalists and even an automated identification tool. Using iNaturalist helps you learn about local nature, connect with other enthusiasts, and most importantly, contribute valuable scientific data to biodiversity research and conservation efforts worldwide.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the resident and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- Lesser goldfinch
- Barn swallow
- Wild turkey
- Northern flicker
- Western tanager
- Black-billed magpie
- Red crossbill
- Cedar waxwing
- Spotted towhee
- Peregrine falcon
- Turkey vulture
- Red-tailed hawk
Birding Tips
- Always view birds and other wildlife from a safe distance.
- Use binoculars or a spotting scope for a closer view.
- Protect young by avoiding nests or dens.
- Help protect birds by using your senses to find them, not recorded calls.
- To see more birds, keep voices and other sounds low.
- Protect plants and wildlife by staying on trails and respecting closures.
- Keep dogs leashed and under control at all times.
- For the best viewing experience, leave pets at home.
- Human food can hurt wildlife - please keep their diets wild.
- Take nothing but pictures - leave what you find for others to enjoy.
Mammals You Might Find
- Eastern cottontail
- Big brown bat
- Mule deer
- Coyote
- Red fox
- Black bear
- Mountain lion
- Abert’s squirrel
- Pine squirrel
- Bushy-tailed woodrat
Learn How to Coexist
View a short video and tips on watching wildlife safely and find important information on crossing paths with wildlife.
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Boreal chorus frog
- Prairie rattlesnake
- Bullsnake
- Western hognose snake
- Woodhouse’s toad
YOU Can Help!
The park is lacking vital data on amphibian and reptile populations. By logging your reptile and amphibian observations into Lory State Park's iNaturalist app, you'll help us collect data that's essential for protecting and preserving the Park's natural resources.
Geology at This Park
Lory spans 2,492 acres in north-central Colorado along the Rocky Mountain foothills. Precambrian rocks like pegmatite, granodiorite, tonalite and metasedimentary rocks lie under the park and are exposed over the western two-thirds of the area. Pennsylvanian and Permian sedimentary formations rest on Precambrian granites, creating patterns along the Front Range's east side. Stream erosion has formed steep canyons, draining mountain runoff. Sedimentary rocks like Satanka and Ingleside formations are visible along the reservoir shoreline, while Fountain Formation conglomerates and sandstones are found nearby. Metasedimentary rocks appear in parallel bands. Tonalite is exposed south of Mill Creek, as is a band of Boulder Creek granodiorite. Pegmatite is exposed on the south-central park boundary. Colluvial deposits can be seen below the Fountain Formation and along Soldier Creek.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
Ecologically, park uplands are dominated by montane coniferous forest, foothills shrub and grassland communities. Nearly barren rock outcrops and cliffs support lichen and moss communities. Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and Rocky Mountain juniper are the dominant forest trees. Forest understory species include common juniper, Oregon-grape, kinnikinnik, penstemon, arnica mountain muhly, Arizona fescue and Parry oatgrass. Shrublands occupy drier slopes and openings within the montane coniferous forest community. Mountain mahogany, bitterbrush, serviceberry, ninebark, buckbrush, snowberry, common gooseberry and bitterbrush are the common shrub species.
Grasslands occupy most of the lower park elevations and are dominated by big and little bluestem, prairie sandreed, blue and side-oats grama, needle-and-thread grass, New Mexico needlegrass, Indian ricegrass and purple threeawn. A variety of riparian and wetland communities are present along drainages and on seeps and springs; some drainages support the rare wood lily.
Upcoming Events
No Results.
There are no results to display at this time.
No Results.
There are no results to display at this time.
History
In ancient times ranging from the Paleo period to the late Ceramic period, people left behind tools and artifacts in the area that is now Lory State Park. Later, the area served as a buffer zone for Plains Tribes and the Ute, who hunted bison and gathered choke cherries and plums.
In the mid-1800s, trappers, traders and settlers arrived in the area. French-Canadian trappers frequented Bellvue, and settlements like Colona and LaPorte were established.
Fort Collins emerged in 1862, serving as a military camp and later a settlement. Conflicts with Native Americans heightened as settlers moved westward.
Quarries and railroads developed in the 1870s, extracting sandstone used in various towns. Economic conditions led to quarry closures. Traces of these quarries can be found in Lory State Park.
The Howard family played a significant role in the area, settling in the late 1800s and expanding their land to 3,600 acres. In 1967, they sold 2,600 acres to the state for Lory State Park.
Horsetooth Reservoir construction began in 1937, finished in 1949 and the reservoir was filled by 1956. Some areas, like Stout, were abandoned for reservoir development.
Lory State Park was officially named in 1975, honoring Dr. Charles A. Lory. It offers recreational activities and preserves the area's unique rock formations, meadows and forests.