Lagerman Reservoir
Location |
Website |
7100 Pike Rd, Longmont, CO 80503
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PDF Map
Trail Map
Park Fees
Free. I did not pay anything.
Trailer Parking
Wonderful! It is so refreshing to have designated trailer parking with clear signs and no actual cars parked in these spots. There is a large lot with 4 spots and plenty of room to turn around.
BathroomsNice permanent potties. Boulder county does such a nice job with their trail-heads!
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WaterI did not see any water spigots. We have gotten smarter and now I bring water for Sam.
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Mounting |
Footing |
I used a curb to get on, I could have also walked over the one of the picnic tables.
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Crushed gravel for most of the trail. Sam had front shoes on and did ok, he still wanted to walk on the grass on the side of the trail. I think he would have been more comfortable with 4 shoes or boots.
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Horse Hazards
This is a nice wide trail with a lot of stationary object hazards. Right at the park turn-off you see a lot of agricultural equipment in the fields. We saw pipes, hay bales, plastic on a fence, crossed some minor dirt roads and then came across lots of cows and some coyotes. At the east end of the Open Sky Loop Trail you are walking close to the road, however the shoulder is wide and you can give yourself some space between the trail and traffic.
Chosen Trail
Sam and I wanted a longer trail-ride than just riding around the Reservoir. The Open Sky Loop is a relatively new trail that was finished in 2017. We rode 4.9 miles in 1.5 hrs mostly trotting. I was worried about getting lost since I cannot see the trail from google maps satellite. However, this fear was unfounded. The trail is VERY well marked and all the private roads that fork off the trail have very clear signs telling you where the trail is and not to enter the private lands.
Trail Experience
The trail starts out nice and wide and well-marked heading back toward pike road.
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We turned left at Pike road. I wanted to go left or clock-wise around the loop so we would reach the part of the trail that runs close to N 75th street at the end when Sam was tired. Notice the large Ag sprinklers in the distance which could be scary for some horses.
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We started down a really pretty trail with good gravel footing and lots of trees.
This trail was beautiful with the mountains in the distance. I imagine it would be even better in the spring with green grass and a blue sky.
Passing a pond we also passed a pipe coming out of the ground. I don't think Sam noticed.
Right when I was starting to feel lost there was a fork in the road and a sign. Going straight dead-ends. To stay on the trail you turn right.
We went past the lake. There is a horse pasture on the left side. I didn't see any horses out.
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Below: In this picture we took the left fork, it would be a sharp right turn from the original trail.
There were some nice gentle hills and turns.
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And pretty views as we traveled North clock-wise on the Open Sky Loop.
We crossed some ditches and culverts. Nothing too bad. We passed some stumps on the left.
This is where Sam got a little scared. It was a little windy and the blowing plastic was not fun for him. I dismounted, led him past, and gave him lots of apple slices.
The stretch of trail by N 75th wasn't too bad. I dismounted to lead Sam over the bridge. We chose to walk a little down from the trail on the dirt and farther from traffic.
We crossed Pike road and took the trail back to the parking lot.
You can also walk around the reservoir. It is a much shorter ride, although pretty.
Rating
Moderately Difficult. This trail has a lot of ag-related stationary objects that can challenge even the best trail horse. I really enjoyed this trail. Sam was able to long trot up and down the rolling hills. I rode this on a cold, overcast and windy day and the views of the mountains were still amazing. On a clear day with green grass this would be a gorgeous trail.