Yes, hiking trails around the Mountain Campus are open to the public. For more recreation information, please click here.
Please park in public trail head parking lots, such as the Stormy Peaks Trailhead (just East of our campus entrance) and the Emmaline Lake Trailhead (off W. County Road 145 near Tom Bennett Campground). The Stormy Peaks parking lot provides access to the Stormy Peaks, B17 Crash Site, Twin Lakes, and Denny’s Point trails. The Emmaline Lake parking area provides access to Emmaline Lake, Cirque Meadow, and Mummy Pass trails The Signal Mountain trail head provides access to Signal Mountain.
- If you are a paying guest arriving to the Mountain Campus, you will have been provided an access code to the main entrance gate. Use this to enter campus, then follow signs to appropriate parking (conference/visitor and/or student parking). Click here to view our interactive campus map to identify where each appropriate parking area is on campus.
- Public services and parking are not available that the Mountain Campus. Your car may be locked inside our entrance gate if you park on campus without authorization. Please avoid this situation by respecting our “authorized guests only” policy.
- If you are coming to recreate in the area, like accessing the many wonderful hiking trails which surround the Mountain Campus property, parking is available at public trailheads outside the campus gate. Stormy Peaks Trailhead parking is available less than 1/8 mile to the Southeast outside of the Mountain Campus main gate. Emmaline Lake Trailhead parking is available just off of Forest Road 145, ¼ mile Northeast outside of the Mountain Campus main gate.
No, pets are not permitted at the Mountain Campus. Legally registered service animals are allowed, and those with service animals must contact Mountain Campus administration prior to arrival. Emotional Support Animals are permitted on a case-by-case basis and MUST be approved by Mountain Campus administration prior to arrival.
Camping on campus is not permitted, but there many places in the area to camp! Visit this website to learn more: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/arp/recreation/camping-cabins
Cabin rentals are available for organized conferences and academic groups. We do not rent cabins to the public.
It depends on the month! The Mountain Campus boasts an incredible display of varying colors in the changing aspen leaves. To see what’s changing now, view our webcam here.
Please leave all firearms and weapons at home, and observe all Colorado law in regard to CCW.
Check this website for up-to-date information regarding fire bans: https://www.larimer.org/emergency/mitigating-against-hazards/larimer-county-fire-restrictions
Rocky Mountain National Park is accessible for the public from the Emmaline Lake trail and the Stormy Peaks trail. Please see the RMNP website, https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm, for more information. See above for directions to public trailhead parking.
For authorized guests with a valid Colorado fishing license, you may fish the South Fork Cache la Poudre that runs through the valley. All fishing is catch and release.
Please note that if you are searching for “Pingree Park” you will not find anything at the CSU Mountain Campus. “Pingree Park” is the name given to the region in which the campus is located. There is not an established “park” associated, nor are there trailheads that will lead you to “Pingree Park.” Rather, the term “park” refers to the geographical feature of a large, open area of land maintained in a natural state.