lakes – Mountain Wayfarer

Riverbend Ponds is one of natural areas of Fort Collins created in the Cache la Poudre River corridor.

It offers a lot of diversity with a stretch of the Poudre River, several ponds and wetlands. There are seven former gravel mine ponds to choose from so it is a popular fishing site. The Colorado Division of Wildlife stocks the ponds with warm-water species (usually largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish). Birders also enjoy Riverbend Ponds- over 200 species of birds feed, rest, nest, and migrate through including green herons, a wide variety of ducks, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants and others. Riverbend Ponds’ flat trails with loop options and varied habitat appeal to many hikers and dog-walkers.

It is one of my favorite local paddling destination. I use small ponds near the Timberline Street trailhead for paddling a packraft or SUP (stand-up-paddleboard). These ponds can serve as an easy access to the Poudre River for downriver trips. This year I explored the Big Pond by canoe and SUP, but starting from the Prospect Street trailhead.

You can find several pictures of this areas in my blogs from paddling and walking. However, the pictures below offer a little different perspective – birds eye view. There were shot during Septenber and October, 2014 with the Panasonic Lumix GM1 camera flying on board of the DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter drone.

aerial view of lake natural area — September 24, 2014. 4 ponds in the northern part near Timberline Street trailhead

September 24, 2014. Big Pond looking southwest

October 2, 2014, Big Pond looking northeast

October 29. 2014, Big Pond looking northeast

Some of my aerial pictures shot with Panasonic Lumix GM1 and GoPro Hero 3 are available for licensing as royalty free images directly from Pixel Away Stock website. The portfolio includes also pictures of the Phantom drone in action and some related gear. I will be posting more aerial pictures from the Fort Collins area and technical comments on flying Lumix GM1 camera with the Phantom quadcopter.

Old Town Penobscot 15 canoe on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area

Summer weekend. Where to paddle kayak, canoe or SUP in Fort Collins?

There is a lot of paddling opportunities along Front Range in Colorado. Horseooth Reservoir is perhaps the most popular lake near Fort Collins. However, during a summer weekend, I am rather looking for something less crowded and away from power boats.

I would recommend one of city’s natural areas to play with your kayak, canoe or stand up paddleboard. Along the Poudre River there are several small lakes and ponds created in location of former gravel mining operations. These lakes are used mostly by fishermen. Water level doesn’t change much during a year. So, there is a lot of vegetation along shores and plenty of wildlife.

My favorite Fort Collins natural areas for paddling are Arapaho Bend and Riverbend Ponds, but you can explore other areas along the river as well. There is also Dixon Lake at foothills.

Corgi dog in a canoe — Pixel, the water Corgi, in a canoe

Category: lakes

Riverbend Ponds Natural Area in Aerial Photography

Paddling Natural Areas in Fort Collins, Colorado