By Deborah Huth Price
Berthoud Recorder

Many open space properties were ranches or farms at one time. One of these — Heil Valley Ranch — still exhibits part of its ranching history, while opening up a beautiful landscape for hikers, bikers and equestrians.

A little more than 20 miles from Berthoud, Heil Valley Ranch offers 15 miles of trails through coniferous forest. Entering the property off Highway 36 near Boulder, the road takes you through the remaining operations of the ranch, with an occasional cow wandering onto the road.

The pedestrian-only Lichen Loop, which begins near the parking lot, is only a mile long but offers beautiful scenery and a quick getaway. Near the beginning of the loop, an interpretive sign explains the lime kiln operations that took place here over 100 years ago. Remains of a kiln are still located near the trail as a marker of days gone by.

Walkers and cross country skiers had already blazed the trail from the previous day’s snowfall before I arrived, but on my Tuesday morning visit I had the place to myself.

Like many other locations near towns and cities, wildlife has found safety in open spaces. On this quiet morning, a group of deer looked for grass poking above the snow near the trail. Dog-like tracks weaved on and off the trail, most likely belonging to a hungry coyote looking for a small animal snack. Elk are known to winter here as well and the tassel-eared Abert’s squirrel makes its home in the many Ponderosa Pine trees. Bears are also spotted occasionally, but with winter in full gear, hibernation takes them away from human sight.

Senses are heightened when one is walking alone, and they should be. Watching the grazing deer, I remembered the warning sign at the trailhead about mountain lions in the area. Since deer are the favorite food of most mountain lions, I became acutely aware of the possibility of predator eyes that could be watching from behind the trees. Sometimes it’s good to reflect on our place in the food chain!

Several other trails take you farther into the woods. The 2.5-mile Wapiti Trail takes you to a double loop. The 2.6-mile Ponderosa Loop includes a beautiful scenic lookout over the valley, and the 3-mile Wild Turkey Trail provides another option, with the possible chance of seeing turkeys feeding on seeds and insects from the forest floor.

From the Wild Turkey Trail, you can continue for an additional 5.5 miles on the Picture Rock Trail to the north end of the property where it connects to the Town of Lyons. This trail also passes through a quarry complex. According to park literature, the quarry was in operation until the 1960s and provided sandstone for building construction at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Less than half an hour from Berthoud, Heil Valley Ranch feels many hours away on a winter day!

Deborah Huth Price is Education Coordinator at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area near Masonville, and also does education programming at DiscoveryScience Center in Fort Collins.