Pleasant Valley — Lions to Watson entrance return

Pleasant Valley — Lions to Watson entrance return — detailed guide

Source review: 2026-10-11. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.

Ride about 4.2 miles out and back from Lions Open Space Trailhead to the entrance of Watson Lake State Wildlife Area and back. The official featured course is 2.1 miles one way and lists an average grade of 1% and maximum grade of 2%. Width and cross-slope are unknown; these published descriptions are not a fresh accessibility survey.

Start at the public lot on the west side of North Overland Trail, directly north of the bridge over the Poudre River, just south of Laporte. From Laporte’s stoplight at County Road 54G and Overland Trail, go south a couple of blocks to the lot on the right. The named trailhead is approximately 40.622081, -105.139758, which locates the head rather than a parking stall. Use this riverside lot; the hilltop Bingham Hill Park lot is a different start with a climb.

Follow the designated paved path west along the Pleasant Valley Trail, using the official featured-course map. The course includes a short West Poudre approach near Lions, then follows the river, a disc-golf area and county-roadside paths toward Bellvue. Stay on the shared trail, slow at driveways and road junctions, and follow posted crossing controls. The route ends at the Watson Lake wildlife-area entrance, approximately 40.630357, -105.166361. Turn around there and retrace the same path to Lions. Do not add roads or paths into the lake or fish hatchery, the Bingham Hill road climb, or an eastward Poudre extension.

Ordinary bicycles are explicitly allowed on the county path and all five mapped pieces of the selected course. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on Pleasant Valley; Class 3 is prohibited. Yield to walkers, slow around other trail users and keep dogs leashed. The county specifies sunrise-to-sunset use and no entrance fee for Lions and this trail. Stopping at the wildlife-area entrance keeps this guide’s scope clear; it does not claim an exemption from any permits or restrictions for additional wildlife-area access or fishing.

COTREX lists water and restrooms at the Lions head, and the county identifies these facilities. Bring water because seasonal or maintenance availability is not guaranteed. The path runs beside county roads for part of the outing, with parking approaches and traffic interfaces; this is not a promise of a ride without crossings. The published 2% maximum applies to the selected featured course, not every trail or hill nearby.

The 4.2-mile total includes the return. It doubles the publisher’s rounded 2.1-mile one-way distance. The source geometry measures roughly 2.05 miles one way before rounding; movement from a parking space is additional. A separate COTREX profile lists 2.2 miles for the full named trail, and a city-managed Pleasant Valley component is another scope. Those figures are not added to this outing or to the 45-mile regional Poudre corridor.

The selected route and trail pages reviewed October 11, 2026 UTC displayed no attached current notice. That does not establish on-site access or complete county-wide closure coverage. Check the official course and local barriers before riding; do not bypass a closure onto a road or private land. A whole internal geometry review confirmed that the five source pieces connect, but no stitched GPX or surveyed parking point is supplied.

Sources: official one-way course, public trailhead, county access, hours and bicycle rules and named county trail. This original written entry is complete with these qualifications; fresh posted-access checks and integration into the separate USA website remain before launch.