Riverbend Ponds Natural Area

 What a great place!  There are quite a few different ponds and a rather lengthy trail.  I didn't realize that we would have so much to explore!

 

We were able to see baby geese,

 

 

snakes,

 

 

 fish,
 turtles,

 

 and birds (a lot of red wing black birds) throughout this hike.

 

 

We hiked on boardwalks,

 

 played on logs, played with sticks and grasses in the water,

 

 threw rocks in the ponds and river, watched people canoe and fish.
 We were able to walk along the Poudre River for awhile and saw red seaweed!

 

There is so much to do and we even hiked quite a bit (3.5 miles)!  I would highly recommend this for families.

  The roses had just come out to bloom:

 

 The Donkeytail Spurge was pretty:

Hike: Riverbend Pond's Natural Area

Trails Used:

Distance: 3.53 miles
Difficulty: Easy for adults, Moderate for children (can get hot out there so start early)
Overall average: 1.2 mph
Overall Time: 2 hrs, 52 min
Total Ascent: 462 ft.