Carrie & Austin
Carrie & Austin
Our Favorite Restaurants
Here are some of our favorite places for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!
Breakfast: The Creperie, Philipe, Luciles, Silver Grill, Mugs Coffee Shop
Lunch: Fiona's Deli, Choice City Deli, Avagadro's Number
Dinner to Go: Cafe Mexicali, Music City Hot Chicken, Yellow Crunch
Sit-Down Dinner: Little on Mountain, Rare Italian, Blue Agave, Young's Cafe (Vietnamese)
Dessert: The Creperie French Bakery, Mary's Mountain Cookies, The Churn Ice Cream
Breweries: Odell, New Belgium, Maxline, Stodgy
Bars: Elliots Martini Bar
Area Hiking
There are some great easy local hikes in the area and a few more adventurous options. The ones listed below range from fairly flat and easy to more challenging. We love to talk about hiking options, so please reach out if you would like more options or suggestions.
River Bend Ponds - 100% flat walking paths around a series of ponds with abundant birds and other wildlife.
Fossil Creek Reservoir - a short walking path alongside a very large reservoir with some of the best birding in town. Be sure to search for the Reservoir instead of Fossil Creek Park.
Dixon Reservoir Loop - 3 Mile loop with modest up and down accessible from it's own parking area, or from the Spring Canyon Park for an extra 1 mile round trip.
Reservoir Ridge - A bit a climb from the parking area up to the ridge between Fort Collins and Horsetooth Reservoir
Arthur's Rock - A short but steady climb out of Lory State Park to one of the best overlooks in town.
Horsetooth Rock - This is longest most challenging hike on the list. There is minimal shade and a steep trail. The final scramble leads to an amazing view point. Not recommended for our sea-level friends.
Area Drives
The Rocky Mountain Foothills have some wonderful drives if you do not care to go hiking, or need another day to acclimate.
Poudre Canyon (US 14) from Fort Collins up to Cameron Peak. Gorgeous drive along the poudre river through a steep canyon. Stop and turn back once you've had your fill of beautiful river and canyon views.
US 34 Through Thompson Canyon to Estes Park: The drive to Estes Park from Fort collins involves a steep walled canyon along the Thompson river. Once in Estes, you can continue to drive into Estes Park if desired, but the views from estes itself are also fantastic.
Peak To Peak Highway - US 7 from Estes Park to Nederland; this drive takes you alongside the continental divide through some beautiful forest land. Make a loop out of it by coming back down from Nederland into Boulder through the Boulder Canyon.
Fort Collins Bike Paths
Fort Collins has a massive network of paved biking and walking trails intersecting throughout the city. Try the Poudre Trail through Lee Martinez Park, The Spring Creek Trail, or the Power Trail.
Other Things to Do
Old Town Fort Collins - the center of downtown is a lovely pedestrian only space with lots of shopping and eateries.
The Exchange - on the northern end of downtown, this is an outdoor plaza ringed by restaurants and bars. We recommend Old Town Putt for a mini-golf course, arcade games, and drinks.
On Saturday morning check out the Fort Collins Farmer's Market near old town square.
The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, located at the north end of downtown is fun for a wide variety of ages with plenty of interactive exhibits and indoor/outdoor learning spaces.
The Colorado State University Trial Flower Gardens are a phenomenal display of all kinds of flowers and foliage.