The City of Loveland Open Lands & Trails program has conserved over 5,000 acres of open space in and around Loveland.  In 1995, the citizens of Larimer County approved the 1/4-cent Help Preserve Open Space sales tax to protect open space, natural areas, wildlife habitat, regional parks and trails. In 2014, voters overwhelmingly supported the extension of the tax until 2043. Eighteen natural areas and open lands are open to the public, with more than 50 miles of paved and natural-surface trails throughout the community. 

City of Loveland

River's Edge Natural Area provides excellent recreational opportunities for fishing, hiking, bicycling, wildlife viewing, and environmental education. The site’s five ponds have been restored from past gravel mining activity and as restoration continues both naturally and by Loveland Open Lands’ strategic revegetation efforts, photos from visitors help document the changes at Bass Pond over time using chronolog, an online photo monitoring tool. 

River’s Edge is an urban oasis, consisting of 163 acres in the center of Loveland along the Big Thompson River corridor. The property was purchased in 2011 and later developed for public access with picnic shelters, a wetland boardwalk, fishing access points, two ADA-accessible fishing docks, and an outdoor amphitheater. More than 5 miles of soft-surface trails offer ample opportunities to explore the site and connect with nearby neighborhoods and the Loveland Loop Trail. The 2013 Big Thompson flood decimated much of the natural area, including public amenities and natural habitat. Facilities were rebuilt and numerous enhancement projects over the years have included removal of invasive Russian olive trees, control of noxious weeds, planting of pollinator habitat and other native vegetation, creation of fish habitat in the ponds, and the installation of an osprey nesting platform. River’s Edge provides a variety of habitats, offering food, cover and nesting sites for songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, mammals, herptiles, fish, and invertebrates. 

River's Edge Natural Area

Sunset Vista Natural Area contains a variety of habitats and offers 1.75 miles of paved and soft-surface trails to explore.  Past agricultural use included cultivated farmland and a family homestead site, marked by a historic stone structure remaining on the west side of the property.  Dryland wheat farming continues on the north section of the property, and the remaining upland and wetland areas have been undergoing restoration efforts since 2016. Photos from visitors help document the changes to natural conditions at Sunset Vista over time by using chronolog, an online photo monitoring tool. 

The 87-acre Sunset Vista property was purchased in 2014, as part of the 3,500-acre community separator between Loveland and Fort Collins. Numerous restoration projects have improved the natural habitat of the site, including volunteer planting projects, city weed management and native seeding efforts, and Colorado Native Plant Society pollinator habitat improvement projects. Cottonwood trees lining waterways provide habitat for songbirds, raptors, and small mammals, wetlands meandering through the property harbor species such as the state amphibian tiger salamander, and restored short-grass prairie offers food, cover and nesting habitat for upland mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. A section of the Loveland Loop Trail crosses Sunset Vista and continues around the city for a 21-mile paved community trail amenity. The regional Long View Trail connects at Sunset Vista to provide a trail corridor north to Fort Collins for alternative transportation and recreation opportunities. Sunset Vista is a hub of activity for both human visitors and native species coexisting on the site. 

City of Loveland

Colorado

2 chronologs managed by City of Loveland

River's Edge Natural Area

Sunset Vista Natural Area

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