Ft. Collins - Soapstone Prairie Plover Loop

Just about the only trail I have not been on in the Soapstone Prairie Open Space is the Plover Trail.  Soapstone is closed from December through February and the Plover Trail is closed from April 1 to July 15 for protection of ground nesting birds.  Therefore, March is the only time in the spring to tackle the Plover Trail.

The trail meanders east from the south parking lot along several small washes that have been created by runoff from the neighboring foothills and a few springs here and there.

Trail from south Parking Lot

The Plover trail doesn't start at the Parking lot but several miles east.  To get there you must use a short connector trail to the Pronghorn loop and then follow it east for a couple of miles to the Plover Trail.

On a side note, I've always liked the National Geographic (NATGEO) Quad Maps that you find in various sporting goods stores.  Unfortunately they are printed on big pieces of paper and cost money to purchase.  This week I learned that National Geographic has made these maps available on-line and formatted to be easily printed on four pieces of 8"x11" paper.  All for free.  I find these maps interesting because they highlight alot of various features and old road/trail paths that other maps don't offer.  I took along the Round Butte quad map today and was able to identify various places and features that I wouldn't have been able to before.

Near where the Pronghorn Loop meets the Plover Trail there is a small building that has no sign and is completely enclosed and covered in corrugated aluminum.  I've seen this before and was curious as to what it might be or have been.  Using my NATGEO maps I believe it is and old line rider cabin.  I've read that it contains a table and chair, but didn't see anything.  I don't know too much of the history of Jack Springs area, other than there was a cattle operation there.  You can see several other features there including a land-mover tire, some poles (which may be remnants of a pole barn), and several water tanks (still in use).

Landmove Tire

Pole Barn ruins

Soon it became evident that I was passing Jack Springs.  I thought it interesting that there were so many springs in the area, some of which; like Jack Springs, are fairly large wetlands.

Jack Springs

The trail turned north and continued along an old road for a couple of miles to an old ranch site called Graves Camp.  The trail continues to follow the road east, where it meets up with several other trails. Throughout the day I saw several small herds of Pronghorn Antelope, but as usual they were skittish and began to run away when I was still a good quarter mile away.

I ate lunch near Brannigan's spring, then headed back down the west half of the Pronghorn loop back to the truck.  Brannigan Camp is nearby and, I believe is used by the staff as a bit of a storage area, but I was getting tired and had been there before on a previous hike last year.  The Pronghorn loop moseys its way south along the ridge line and through several prairie dog towns.  I carefully watch the trail around these areas as I have encountered a rattlesnake in similar areas before.  No snattlerakes today.

By early afternoon the weather had started to clear and I got a nice picture looking south along the front range.

Weather starting to clear

I continue to encounter new things on old trail areas.  I used to think hiking in the prairie would be dull and boring, but I have found that if you go far enough and do a little research ahead of time, there can be many interesting things to encounter along the way.  Although fun, prairie hiking is not nearly as fun as mountain hiking.

Overall Track Statistics for Soapstone - Plover Loop,   1739 data points

 Length 16.767 miles  :  Garmin Length 17.028 miles

 Start Elevation - 6143.86 feet

 Maximum Elevation - 6571.95 feet

 Minimum Elevation - 6060.93 feet

 Date of Hike - Mar 24, 2017

 Start Time - 08:30 AM

 End Time - 02:50 PM

 Total Duration -     6:20 hours:min

 Total Ascent - 2183.40 feet

 Total Descent - 2201.64 feet

 Net Ascent - -18.24 feet

 Maximum Grade -  7.53%

 Average Speed -  2.65 mph :  Garmin Average Speed  2.68 mph

 Maximum Ascent over Mile - 293.60 feet

 Maximum Speed over Mile -  3.34 mph

 Maximum Gain over Mile (%) -  2.43%