Trek the Thompson is a FREE family-friendly event to celebrate the Big Thompson River. This fun interactive event aims to educate participants about all the River brings to our communities. We will be exploring the role of the River as important habitat for wildlife, a recreation area, and a source for clean drinking water, among many other benefits. The festival features hands-on activities for all ages at education stations; "treks" along the river to learn about birds, plants, and Colorado water resources (
registration required); prizes, food trucks, live music and more.
We have 10 interactive stations to visit this year:
♥ Water Quality – view an interactive demonstration of how stormwater flows into the river system
♥ Macroinvertebrates & Flycasting – see live macroinvertebrates and learn how to flycast from local experts with Rocky Mountain Flycasters
♥ Native Plants – learn about Colorado’s native plants and make some native plant art with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
♥ Trails & Development – looking to find new recreational opportunities in the watershed? Learn about Loveland’s trail systems and upcoming river and trail projects
♥ Emergency Response & Recreational Safety – meet your local firefighters and learn about how you can be prepared for emergency situations
♥ Water Transport & Storage – find out how a system developed in the 1800’s is still used today to get our water where it needs to go
♥ Forest Health – see how wildfire moves through a forest with an interactive “burn board” and learn why forests are so important for watershed health
♥ Wildfire & the Watershed – view an interactive demonstration of how wildfires continue to impact our watershed and water quality years after the fire
♥ Meet Northern Colorado’s Wildlife – learn about Northern Colorado’s wildlife, where you can find them and more
♥ Regenerative Agriculture – learn about agriculture in the watershed including the benefits of no till farming and how our farmers utilize water conservation practices
Big Thompson Watershed Coalition works to enhance the health and vitality of the watershed and help recover from events like the Alexander Mountain Fire and Cameron Peak Fire.