Trail Log · Sunday, October 18, 2026

Kelly Flats

Roosevelt National Forest above the Poudre Canyon, off CO 14 northwest of Fort Collins

  • Kelly Flats
  • Heart Attack Hill
  • County roads

See it on the Trail Map

Miles
12.5
Climbing
3,000 ft
High point
8,648 ft
On the trail
2h 12m

Our review

Take not written yet.

See this trip on the Trail Map

The run

Sunday, October 18, back on Kelly Flats after our May and August runs, for Trails Offroad’s Costume Party challenges. We aired down at the Kelly Flats lot and started up the trail, but onX wasn’t recording, so we stopped and got it going again; the track picks up at the bottom of Heart Attack Hill at 10:14 AM. Sucia took the direct line up the hill, where the steepest pitch of the day, 31% over 100 m, comes 0.3 miles in, then ran 9.6 miles along the ridge to County Road 69 at the top of the trail, with the high point at 8,648 ft. From there we took Pingree Hill Road north to Goodell Corner and Manhattan Road west to Manhattan Cemetery, stopped there ten minutes, then went on to where we turned around and aired back up in the road before heading home. About 3,000 ft of climbing in all.

“Everybody needs a spooky little spotter 👻 for a Kelly Flats run!”

Trails Offroad, sharing the run on Facebook, October 21, 2026

The track

onX track on a UTM zone 13N 1 km grid. onX didn’t record the first stretch up from the Kelly Flats lot, so the track starts at the bottom of Heart Attack Hill. Hover the track to read elevation and time. Base map: USGS The National Map.

Elevation

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

  • Kelly Flats
  • Heart Attack Hill
  • County roads

The day

10:14 AM–12:26 PM · moving 1h 29m, stopped 43 min across 8 stops

  • Kelly Flats
  • Heart Attack Hill
  • County roads
  • Stopped

Trail info

Good to know

  • At the half-mile split, Heart Attack Hill is the direct line and Aneurysm Hill is the loop to the east. The two rejoin about a mile up.
  • Trails Offroad lists Kelly Flats as typically open May 15 to November 20, and FunTreks notes that a wet spring can delay the opening.
  • COTREX warns that the trail gets extremely muddy after rain.
  • 4x4Explore notes that the trail crosses a private residential area on North Rim Road and asks that residents be respected.

More on these trails

The details

The trail sheet

Everything the log measured: the trail sign and every number, the route, the Trail review, leg by leg, Trail facts, and how the numbers were made.

Open the trail sheetClose the trail sheet

Trail Log · Sunday, October 18, 2026

Kelly Flats

  • HillHeart Attack Hill1.0 mi
  • UpKelly Flats to the top9.6 mi
  • RoadTo Manhattan Cemetery1.8 mi

The legs in order, from the Poudre Canyon

Roosevelt National Forest above the Poudre Canyon, off CO 14 northwest of Fort Collins. Point to point up Kelly Flats to County Road 69, then Manhattan Road to Manhattan Cemetery, on trail 10:14 AM to 12:26 PM in Sucia, a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JLU Sport.

Distance12.5 mi
Moving time1h 29m
Total time2h 12m
Climbing3,000 ft
High point8,648 ft
Steepest pitch31% uphill

Trail review

From our run, the track, and the published guides

The trail

Kelly Flats (Forest Road 168) climbs out of the Poudre Canyon from Kelly Flats Campground and runs west along a ridge with views of the Mummy Range to County Road 69 north of Rustic. Trails Offroad gives it 4.7 stars from 98 reviews, and COTREX and FunTreks rate it difficult at about 10.5 miles. Half a mile in, Heart Attack Hill goes straight up, very steep and loose, and Aneurysm Hill loops around it to the east. FunTreks names the Chutes and Heart Attack Hill as the obstacles and says body damage is frequent on the Chutes, and 4x4Explore notes that the middle of the trail crosses a private residential area on North Rim Road.

Our run

Sunday, October 18, back on Kelly Flats after our May and August runs, for Trails Offroad’s Costume Party challenges. We aired down at the Kelly Flats lot and started up the trail, but onX wasn’t recording, so we stopped and got it going again; the track picks up at the bottom of Heart Attack Hill at 10:14 AM. Sucia took the direct line up the hill, where the steepest pitch of the day, 31% over 100 m, comes 0.3 miles in, then ran 9.6 miles along the ridge to County Road 69 at the top of the trail, with the high point at 8,648 ft. From there we took Pingree Hill Road north to Goodell Corner and Manhattan Road west to Manhattan Cemetery, stopped there ten minutes, then went on to where we turned around and aired back up in the road before heading home. About 3,000 ft of climbing in all.

“Everybody needs a spooky little spotter 👻 for a Kelly Flats run!”

Trails Offroad, sharing the run on Facebook, October 21, 2026

Good to know

  • At the half-mile split, Heart Attack Hill is the direct line and Aneurysm Hill is the loop to the east. The two rejoin about a mile up.
  • Trails Offroad lists Kelly Flats as typically open May 15 to November 20, and FunTreks notes that a wet spring can delay the opening.
  • COTREX warns that the trail gets extremely muddy after rain.
  • 4x4Explore notes that the trail crosses a private residential area on North Rim Road and asks that residents be respected.

Leg by leg

LegRoadTimeDistanceMovingStoppedElevation
Heart Attack HillKelly Flats trail, direct line10:14–10:31 AM1.03 mi17 min07,060 → 7,628 ft
Kelly Flats, up to the topKelly Flats trail, FR 16810:31 AM–12:11 PM9.61 mi1h 07m33 min7,628 → 8,316 ft, high 8,648 ft
To Manhattan CemeteryCR 69: Pingree Hill Road, then Manhattan Road12:11–12:14 PM1.21 mi3 min08,316 → 8,306 ft
Manhattan Cemetery12:14–12:24 PM10 min8,303 ft
On to where we turned aroundManhattan Road, then FS 17112:24–12:26 PM0.60 mi2 min08,312 → 8,510 ft
Total10:14 AM–12:26 PM12.5 mi1h 29m43 min+3,000 ft

Trail facts

Kelly Flats
Trails Offroad: 4.7 stars from 98 reviews, rated difficult to severe, Forest Road 168, 10.5 mi, straight through, high point 8,655 ft, open May 15 to November 20, about 2 hours: “This trail can prove unnerving for beginning off-road drivers, as well as challenge even the most seasoned veteran.” COTREX: Kelly Flats Campground to Wintersteen Park Road, 10.5 mi, rated difficult. FunTreks rates it difficult: 10.6 mi, high point 8,650 ft. 4x4Explore: FR 168, 10.0 mi, difficult (8), from the parking area across from Kelly Flats Campground to County Road 69, with Heart Attack Hill and the Chutes as its rock obstacles.
Manhattan Cemetery
Larimer County CoGenWeb: once called Graveyard Draw, it served the mining town of Manhattan and is the only trace of the town left. Nine graves, two with headstones. George Grill, an ex-mayor of Manhattan, and Lawrence J. Mahar were buried November 13, 1892, after an explosion at the Black Hawk Mine. It lies about 0.6 mi west of Goodell Corner, about 200 ft north of the road. The 2020 Cameron Peak fire did damage in the Manhattan Road area (Wikipedia).
On the track
Kelly Flats tops out at 8,648 ft against Trails Offroad’s 8,655 and FunTreks’ 8,650.

How the numbers were made

  • Track: onX Offroad recordings, 2,884 points logged every second.
  • Distance: the sum of the track, 12.5 mi.
  • Moving time: total time minus 8 stops of 60 seconds or longer where Sucia stayed within 12 m, counting a pause where onX stopped and picked up again within 30 m as stopped.
  • Elevation: onX’s elevations along the track, which follow the USGS 3DEP 10 m model within a few meters. Climbing ignores wiggles under 2 m.
  • Steepest pitch: the steepest 100 m of track on the elevation data.

Adventures 2 Ranta Bout · Sources: Trails Offroad: Kelly Flats · COTREX · FunTreks · 4x4Explore · Larimer County CoGenWeb · Wikipedia · onX Offroad · USGS 3DEP

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