Dog Friendly City Guide: Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins sits where the plains of northern Colorado run up against the first ridges of the Rockies, and for a dog that is the whole appeal. The foothills begin at the western edge of town, close enough that you can be on a trail within a quarter of an hour of breakfast, and the city keeps a chain of natural areas along them, open to walkers and their leashed dogs. Back in town it is a brewing city, and the brewery patio is where Fort Collins spends its evenings, usually with a dog lying under the table. The air is dry and the sun is strong at this altitude, so carry more water than you think you need, for both of you.

Getting There With a Dog

A dog arriving in the United States from abroad must meet the rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the first question is where it has spent the past six months. If that has been only in countries the CDC treats as rabies-free or low risk, the dog needs to be microchipped, at least six months old, and travelling with a receipt for the CDC Dog Import Form, which you complete online before you fly. Time in any country on the CDC's high-risk list for dog rabies brings extra paperwork and stricter checks, so read the CDC's guidance on bringing a dog into the United States before you book anything. The nearest big airport is Denver, and from there you drive north. A car is the right call here in any case, because the best walks are in the foothills and the state park beyond them rather than in the middle of town.

Where to Stay

The Elizabeth Hotel on Chestnut Street is the city's inspected and ranked hotel. It holds a D and was last certified in July 2025, and it meets the Roch Dog Friendly Standard. The welcome is simple and honest rather than lavish. Most of its rooms take dogs, there is no weight or size limit, so a big dog is as welcome as a small one, and real food and water bowls are provided in the room. Your dog is welcome on the terrace and in the garden, which is where you will want to sit with it anyway on a fine Colorado evening. The pet policy is published, so the rules are clear before you arrive. The hotel takes a $75 damage deposit and our record shows no dog fee, though the policy is published, so check the current terms when you book. Dogs are kept out of the bar, the restaurant and the lounge, and the hotel does not keep a dog bed, treats or bags, so pack your own kit.

Eat and Drink

Fort Collins drinks outdoors, and the breweries that set out their dog rules on their own pages are the ones to plan around.

Odell Brewing on East Lincoln Avenue is the one to start with. Its own FAQ says that well behaved dogs are welcome on the patio as long as they are on leashes, and that dogs are not allowed inside the tap room other than while you are buying your beer. On some busy dates the brewery does not allow dogs at all, for capacity and safety, and it lists those days on its tap room page, so check before you go on an event weekend.

A few streets away on Linden Street, New Belgium Brewing is the other great name in town, and it is generous with dogs. Its own help pages say that well behaved dogs and other pets are allowed in the Liquid Center, its tasting room, though not on the brewery tours, and that they must be on a six foot hand held leash. There is no restaurant on site, but rotating food trucks call every day and you are welcome to bring your own food. The brewery hosts big events and live music, and it asks you to check its calendar first if a crowd might unsettle your dog.

On the south side of the city on West Drake Road, Intersect Brewing is a neighbourhood brewery that sets out its house rules plainly. Your dog must be leashed, kept out of the walkways and stay with you at all times, and if it tends to bark or bite the brewery asks you to leave it at home. That kind of clarity makes for a calm patio, which is exactly what you want with a dog.

For something other than beer, Ginger and Baker on Linden Street is a market, bakery, café and steakhouse under one roof, and it describes its own patio as dog friendly. It also runs dog events through the year, from a Howloween costume party to a Santa and pups photo event in December, which tells you something about who sits on that patio. Come for coffee and a slice of pie in the morning, or for an early supper outside.

Walks and Parks

The foothills are the walk. Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, run by Larimer County about four miles from Fort Collins, has twenty nine miles of trails for hiking, biking and riding, climbing to Horsetooth Rock, the notched summit you can see from the plains, and down to Horsetooth Falls, which runs best in spring. Our walks data holds the classic routes here, the Horsetooth Falls loop, the South Ridge trail to Horsetooth Rock and the Audra Culver trail among them. The trails connect to the Blue Sky Trail and to the state park next door. The county's rule is plain: dogs must be on a leash at all times throughout the open space, and loose dogs may be impounded.

Over the ridge to the north, Lory State Park is run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and welcomes leashed dogs on its 28 miles of trail, which generally climb at no more than a 12 percent grade. The routes in our data include the climb to Arthur's Rock and the long Howard Trail, and the two make a fine loop for a fit dog. You will need a daily vehicle pass at the entrance, and the park asks you to keep dogs leashed and under control at all times.

Closer to town, the city's own natural areas carry on along the foothills. Reservoir Ridge Natural Area off North Overland Trail lists leashed dogs among its features and has about five miles of soft trail with views over the city and Horsetooth Reservoir. It is the northern end of the 9.6 mile Foothills Trail, which runs south through Maxwell to Pineridge Natural Area, where leashed dogs are welcome too and a 1.8 mile loop circles Dixon Reservoir. There is also a flat 1.4 mile trail from the Overland Trail Road car park at Reservoir Ridge, an easier stroll for an older dog.

When your dog needs to run free, the city's fenced dog parks are the place. Spring Canyon Park on West Horsetooth Road sits against the foothills with a dog park beside the playground and easy access to Pineridge and its trails, so you can pair a run off the lead with a walk on one. In the south east of the city, Fossil Creek Park wraps around Portner Reservoir with a walking path around the lake and a dog park by the South Lemay Avenue car park. City parks are open every day from 5am to 11pm.

A Day Out

Start early at Horsetooth Mountain, before the sun gets high, and walk the falls loop or, with a fit dog and good boots, push on towards Horsetooth Rock. Come down into town for a late breakfast on the patio at Ginger and Baker, then give the dog the middle of the day to rest at the hotel. In the late afternoon, drive out to Spring Canyon Park, let the dog run in the dog park and finish with a gentle loop into Pineridge. End the day on the patio at Odell Brewing as the light goes over the foothills, or at New Belgium if you would rather sit inside with the dog.

Good to Know

Keep your dog on a leash everywhere outside a fenced dog park: the county, the state park and the city's natural areas all ask for it, and the county warns that loose dogs may be impounded. A few of the city's natural areas do not allow dogs at all, among them Bobcat Ridge, Soapstone Prairie and Coyote Ridge, so check before you drive out to one. Lory State Park charges for entry by the vehicle or the person. At the breweries, dogs stay on the patio or in the tasting room as each one says, not on tours, and always on a leash. Fort Collins sits high and dry, so carry water on every walk, watch the dog for signs of tiring in the thin air, and keep summer hikes to the cool of the morning.