Timnath Sits at the Seam of the Newly Finished Poudre River Trail

In May, Larimer County and the Town of Timnath finished the last piece of the Poudre River Trail. It's a roughly one-mile stretch of 10-foot-wide concrete between south Timnath and north Windsor, with a new bridge over the Greeley No. 2 Canal. With that mile in place, the trail runs 45 continuous miles from Bellvue to Greeley without leaving the path. This is the first winter Timnath has had that connection. On the map it looks like one trail. On the ground, different public agencies own and maintain it piece by piece, and their snow policies differ. Timnath is where several of them meet, so from Weitzel Park, heading west and heading east can mean riding on very different surfaces after a storm.

The Mile That Closed a 50-Year Gap

The final link cost $2.4 million. Connell Resources built it, with funding from Great Outdoors Colorado and grants from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Larimer County's project page describes it as one mile of trail running from County Road 32E north into Timnath. Construction started in September 2025.

Timnath has been adding pieces for years. The county's trail history notes a half-mile segment near I-25 and Harmony Road that Timnath built with the county in 2015. It also shows the Fort Collins approach from Arapaho Bend to the I-25 underpass finished in October 2024. A $2 million GOCO Connect Initiative grant helped close the remaining gaps between late 2024 and early 2026. The full route now includes a new bridge and a pedestrian underpass at I-25.

In the county's completion release, Larimer County land conservation manager Meegan Flenniken summed up what the project took:

"A project of this scale requires incredible coordination and a shared commitment to our natural resources."

That same coordination shows up in winter, when each partner clears its own stretch.

Getting On From Town

The most direct way onto the trail from inside Timnath is Weitzel Park at 4580 Weitzel St. The town lists a "Trailhead connection to the Poudre River Trail" there, along with a fishing pond, a climbing boulder, picnic areas, and soft-surface trails beside a reservoir leased from the New Cache La Poudre Irrigation Company. The gate is open from dawn until dusk. The park is day-use only, with no overnight parking. Since the gate follows daylight, the parking window gets shorter as the days do, which matters on an after-work ride in December.

River Bluffs Open Space is a Larimer County trailhead to the southeast. It has a parking lot, a restroom, and a drinking fountain, and you reach it from I-25 Exit 262/Highway 392 by way of County Road 3 and County Road 32E.

Timnath Community Park at 5500 Summerfields Parkway hosted the ribbon-connecting ceremony on June 13. The town's page for the park doesn't list a direct trail connection or trail-user parking, so plan on starting at Weitzel Park.

West Under I-25, or East Toward Windsor

Heading west, you pass under I-25 through the new pedestrian underpass toward Fort Collins. Arapaho Bend Natural Area is the first big green space along the way. Its loop of paved and natural-surface paths runs about four miles on its own. Past that is Fort Collins' own 12.3-mile Poudre Trail, from North Overland Trail to East Drake Road. It connects to CSU's Environmental Learning Center, and the city lists restrooms and drinking water at Lee Martinez Park. The city also notes that the trail now runs all the way from Bellvue to Timnath.

Heading east, you cross the new mile and the canal bridge into Windsor. Eastman Park is the main trailhead there, with parking, restrooms, drinking fountains, and picnic areas, according to an older Poudre River Trail Corridor page. Downtown Windsor's Main Street has warm stops for a ride's turnaround. Windsor Lake Coffee is at 430 Main Street and lists hours every day of the week. Windsor Mill Tavern is at 301 Main Street, Unit C. Keep riding and the trail eventually ends near Island Grove in Greeley.

None of the sources give mileage from Timnath to these spots, so check distances in the free COTREX app, which Larimer County recommends for finding your way on the trail.

Where the Snow Policy Changes

After a snowstorm, which way you head out matters. Each agency's published approach to its paved trails is a little different:

The new mile between Timnath and Windsor is a county project. So a ride east from Weitzel Park moves from a town with no published trail policy onto county concrete with none either, then into Windsor, which clears as crews are free. Fort Collins is the only partner that publicly ties its trail plowing to its road plowing. Once you're under I-25 and into city territory, the city's published practice applies. Until this year, no one could ride between these jurisdictions without leaving the trail. Now one morning ride can cross all four.

Fence Crews Are Still Around This Fall

Larimer County's status page, last updated in September 2026, says trail and fence construction are complete and revegetation is ongoing. The same page adds that "additional fence work" is coming this fall. The county's May release warned that fence work next to the trail could mean temporary closures, and it asked riders to watch for signs. The Poudre River Trail Corridor's alert page calls the Timnath-to-Windsor connection complete and sends users to COTREX for the latest closure information. No reviewed source lists a dated closure for the Timnath stretch. Check COTREX on the morning you ride.

The Calendar Around the Trail, October Through December

Several events this season are close enough to fold into a ride or walk, even though none is held on the trail itself:

1. Taste of Timnath Month, through October 31, at participating Timnath restaurants and bars, organized by the Timnath Chamber. On Main Street, a short ride from Weitzel Park, Timnath Beerwerks at 4138 Main St. has October food-truck nights on its calendar. CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse runs a café and soda fountain. Over in Ladera, G-Que BBQ opened in April, as the Coloradoan reported. Its location page lists the address as 4931 Cima Vista Drive.
2. Timnath Connect Harvest Market, Saturday, October 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Pedro's Coffee Shop, 2100 S Colorado Blvd.
3. Windsor Halloween Carnival, Saturday, October 24, noon to 4 p.m., at Boardwalk Community Park, 100 N. 5th St.
4. Pelican Lakes Turkey Trot, November 26, in Windsor. The 5K course uses the paved cart and walking paths at Water Valley, not the Poudre River Trail.
5. Timnath Holiday Festival, December 5, at Timnath Community Park, with Santa, performances, ice sculptures, and an artisan market. The event page says noon to 2 p.m., while the town's 2026 save-the-dates poster says 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., so check the time closer to the day.
6. Santa Catch 5K/10K, December 12, at Boardwalk Park in Windsor. The 5K loops Windsor Lake, and the 10K adds the Canal Trail.

The ribbon is cut and the concrete is down. The trail's first full winter will show how the four managers handle snow on the stretches they each own, starting with the new mile that runs south from Weitzel Park.

At Power of 3 Real Estate, we track the details that shape daily life in Timnath, from which trailhead gate closes at dusk to which segment gets plowed first. If you're curious how close a given street sits to Weitzel Park or the new Poudre River Trail link, we're happy to pull it up on the map with you. Start Your Home Search.