Trail Log · Sunday, July 26, 2026

Moody Hill

  • UpUp Moody Hill4.3 mi
  • SideSide spur1.5 mi
  • DownBack down4.5 mi
  • RoadBuckhorn Road1.5 mi

Out and back from the trailhead on Buckhorn Road

Roosevelt National Forest off Buckhorn Road (County Road 44H), west of Fort Collins. Out and back from the Moody Hill trailhead, on trail 9:26 to 11:33 AM in Sucia, a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JLU Sport.

Distance11.9 mi
Moving time1h 45m
Total time2h 07m
Climbing2,400 ft
High point8,302 ft
Steepest pitch27% uphill
onX track on a UTM zone 13N 1 km grid. Most of the climb was driven up and back down, so the track traces over itself. Hover the track to read elevation and time.

Elevation

Feet along the track, from onX’s elevations (USGS 10 m model)

The day

9:26–11:33 AM · moving 1h 45m, stopped 22 min across 10 stops

Trail review

From our run, the track, and the published guides

The trail

Moody Hill (Forest Road 513) leaves Buckhorn Road west of Fort Collins and climbs from about 6,570 ft through switchbacks into pine forest and open meadows, with views of the Larimer County foothills. onX rates it moderate at 5.1 miles. 4x4Explore calls a rock ledge in the first mile “the main obstacle for the Moody Hill road,” and FunTreks says the steep, rocky sections are easier with lockers but manageable for most short-wheelbase 4x4s driven by someone with some off-road experience. Near the top, the Rock Quarry is an open outcropping with several lines up it.

Our run

Sunday, July 26. From the trailhead at 6,564 ft, Sucia climbed 4.3 miles to a turnaround at 8,261 ft; the high point, 8,302 ft, came just before it. The steepest pitch of the day, 27% over 100 m, comes 0.5 miles in, about where trail reports on onX put a rock shelf. On the way back down we took a side road out and back for 1.5 miles, then came down the same way and drove 1.5 miles along Buckhorn Road before the recording stopped. About 2,400 ft of climbing in all.

Good to know

  • Open June 15 to November 30, per FunTreks; 4x4Explore lists the closure as December 1 to June 14.
  • The Forest Service lists parking for 10 to 12 trailers on the north side of Buckhorn Road, across from the trailhead.
  • FunTreks notes the upper part of Forest Road 344 toward Crystal Mountain has been closed behind a locked gate since 2015, and that the road to Crystal Mountain crosses private land: “Stay on the route shown at all times.”

Leg by leg

LegRoadTimeDistanceMovingStoppedElevation
Up Moody HillMoody Hill Road, FS 5139:26–10:15 AM4.33 mi42 min7 min6,564 → 8,261 ft, high 8,302 ft
Back down to the side roadMoody Hill Road, FS 51310:15–10:28 AM1.73 mi12 min08,261 → 8,060 ft
Side spur, out and backSide road10:28–10:58 AM1.53 mi19 min12 min8,060 ft, low 7,972 ft
Down to the trailheadMoody Hill Road, FS 51310:58–11:30 AM2.81 mi28 min3 min8,054 → 6,566 ft
Buckhorn RoadCounty Road 44H11:30–11:33 AM1.51 mi4 min06,566 → 6,410 ft
Total9:26–11:33 AM11.9 mi1h 45m22 min+2,400 ft