Long Draw Reservoir

The forest's ridge system, dominated by 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks, lures climbers to explore its sheer rock walls and crenellated crags. Hikers can wander through thick stands of lodgepole, aspen, spruce, and fir as they ascend toward glaciers and windswept tundra caressed by misty white clouds.

Some of the strongest winds ever recorded in North America (160 mph) rip across Niwot Ridge. And yet just beneath this extreme weather one can find solitude in the quiet cirque basins that cradle delicate glacial lakes. And it's not just wind that continues to shape these cathedrals of rock and ice, but water also plays a crucial role.

Consider the sheer power of the wild and scenic Cache la Poudre as it rips through a narrow cleft in the rock wall known as The Narrows before plummeting down a deep chasm at Poudre Falls. Kayakers, rafters, and trout fishermen ply their trades in these waters.

Legend has it that the Cache la Poudre got its name when Hudson Bay Company fur trappers were forced to lighten their loads beside the river after being caught in a snowstorm in 1836. The order was given to "cache la poudre" or "hide the powder" so that it could be retrieved the following spring.

The forest began as a portion of the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve established back in 1897. In 1910, this forest became the Colorado National Forest. In 1932, it was renamed again to honor President Theodore Roosevelt, the person most responsible for its creation.

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