Lory State Park
State Park in Bellvue, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Office: Monday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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 8 p.m.
Office: Monday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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
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
Directions
Accessing the Park
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 north 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.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc. |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
1 Year |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Year |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
1 Year |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Visitors 64+ |
1 Year |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
1 Year |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
1 Year |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
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.
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
Mammals You Might Find
- Elk
- Yellow-bellied Marmot
- Eastern Cottontail
- Little Brown Bat
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Great Short-horned Lizard
- Common Snapping Turtle
- Northern Leopard Frog
- Boreal Chorus Frog
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, Rocky Mountain juniper and aspen 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.
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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.