If you’re heading to Red Feather Lakes in northern Colorado, plan to take a morning walk along Dowdy Lake Trail. It’s a wonderful trail with lake views the entire hike along with tall pines, picturesque coves, and intriguing rock formations.

Getting There:

Dowdy Lake is about a mile from the village of Red Feather Lakes and 48 miles northwest of Fort Collins. It’s off of Red Feather Lake Road (County Road 74E) and is surrounded by ponderosa pines in Roosevelt National Forest. Dowdy Lake day use area with parking is on north side of lake. There are 18 picnic sites, 2 restrooms, and a boat ramp. Day use fee is $9 or included with annual National Park Service pass (must show).

Trail Stats:

2.3-mile loop trail

Mainly flat and wide trail

Lots of shade (about half of trail is in trees)

Passes by campground with 70 sites, including 10 walk-in tent sites. Can reserve sites 6 months in advance on recreation.gov.

Multiple beach areas along trail

Couple of bathrooms available

Dog-friendly (on leash)

Take a Lake Walk:

My friend Adeina and I parked in the day use area. Before starting the trail to the right of the small parking (as your looking at the lake), we took our lattes from Outlawtte coffee shop in Red Feather Trading Post and sat on some rocks along the shoreline. As we watch several paddleboarders paddling their way around a couple of tiny islands, we were wishing we had paddle boards or kayaks for a little water fun. The 115-acre lake is a no-wake lake. Motorized boats are allowed but must operate at wakeless speeds.

For the first half of the easy hike we were mainly in the trees as we passed the campground. The shade of the ponderosa pines made it delightful. As I walked by a campsite with a couple relaxing in their lounge chairs enjoying the view I said, “Y’all are just missing glasses of wine.” They laughed and he replied, “That’s for later.” I enjoyed chatting with them for a bit. The couple is from Colorado Springs and they’ve been vacationing in their RV along Dowdy Lake for 2 weeks in late July and early August for the past 6 years. They book their site at 8am six months to the day ahead of when they want to be there. They’ve gotten lucky and gotten the same spot for three years in a row.

As we continued around the lake, we traded shade for full sun. There are a couple of beautiful small coves. A little farther and there’s two small ponds. It’s a wonderful lake for fishing and we stopped to watch a couple of guys cast their lines. There are some beautiful rock formations that make for perfect picnic or even fishing spots. If you’re wanting an easy lake hike with consistent lake views, this is it. This lovely stroll is great for all levels.

Author Jennifer Broome has traveled extensively across Colorado. She enjoys sharing some of Colorado’s unique places. Check out the Explore Colorado section for more. For another great hike in northern Colorado, read posts on Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park.