Arrowhead Visitor Center

Pancakes, Pies, and Pinochle

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

1. Arrowhead Visitor Center Marker

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Range.

West.

America,

Mountains,

Hemisphere,

World,

Anglosphere.

Purchase.

From the National Register Nomination prepared

Fort Collins Public Library

2. Marker detail: Arrowhead Lodge interior (1949)

by Elyse Bliss (1990) & Bob Nykamp (1992):
The Arrowhead Lodge complex is on approximately three acres of land directly north of the Cache la Poudre River, alongside Colorado Highway 14. Historically and at the present time the Cache la Poudre is famous for its trout fishing and has been rated "excellent" by the Colorado State Division of Wildlife. When the lodge was in operation, these structures provided lodging and recreation for Poudre Canyon visitors. Because its last private owner, Stan Case, was prudent in executing additions and changes to the original structures, most of the district remains as it was originally built by Carl and Marion Brafford, Wayne Frakes and Brye Gladstone. Arrowhead Lodge Historic District accurately portrays the physical setting and architecture of one of northern Colorado's fishing and recreation resorts of the Depression years prior to World War II. It also represents the only relatively unaltered resort of that era in the Poudre Canyon.
The success of Arrowhead Lodge as a resort at such a period in American history was due partly to its proximity to the popular fishing river, partly to its central location in the 50-mile-long canyon and partly to its original owner's popularity in nearby Fort Collins.
A rugged, south-facing slope serves as a backdrop for Arrowhead Lodge. The thirteen cabins of the Arrowhead Lodge District are arranged

Fort Collins Public Library

3. Marker detail: Arrowhead Lodge dining room (1949)

in a horseshoe curve to the sides and rear of the main building. The square footage of each cabin varies between 200 and 400 square feet. They are constructed of five-sided locally milled logs and have low pitched roofs, covered with rolled roofing material. Due to the diversity of primary vegetation at the site, such as transition grasslands mixed with serviceberry, bitterbrush, sage and rabbitbrush, animals such as mule deer, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mountain lions frequent the area.
The Arrowhead Lodge District, as a resort, has been unused since 1984, when the United States Forest Service acquired ownership. At the present time the lodge is being utilized by volunteers through cooperation with the Forest Service as a visitor information center.

Excerpt:  The Arrowhead Lodge was a resort camp which was built in 1931. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The listed area includes 27 buildings, 22 of them being contributing buildings, a contributing object (a sign), and various noncontributing structures and objects, on 3 acres. Its main lodge is currently a United States Forest Service visitor center. Other buildings include 13 historic, rustic-style cabins. It is at elevation

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

4. Arrowhead Visitor Center Marker Kiosk

The historical marker is the leftmost panel of this 3-panel kiosk. The kiosk is located near the west side of the Arrowhead Lodge.

7,410 feet, about 32 miles up Cache la Poudre Canyon. It is in Roosevelt National Forest "in the rugged lower montane climate region typical of Colorado's Rocky Mountain eastern slope," on the north bank of the Cache la Poudre River.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

5. National Register of Historic Places marker

(on a boulder beside the Arrowhead Lodge entrance)
Arrowhead Lodge
1935
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historical Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

6. Arrowhead Lodge Entrance & NRHP Marker

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

7. Arrowhead Lodge (southeast elevation)

There is a massive stone fireplace on the east end of the lodge (and another on the west end - not visible from this angle).

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

8. Arrowhead Lodge Fountain (built circa 1940)

From the National Register Nomination:  Centered in front of the lodge and across the half-circle entrance drive is a hand fashioned cemented circular depression in the ground with a cemented rocky spire in the center. Rimmed by native rubble stone, this ornamental structure, originally a water fountain full of rainbow trout, was served by a natural spring and added enticing charm to the lodge setting.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

9. Arrowhead Lodge Sign

Looking west along Poudre Canyon Road (CO Highway 14).

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2025

10. Arrowhead Lodge/Visitor Center (south/front elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The main lodge, constructed c. 1935, with a west addition c. 1943 and an east addition c. 1948, is a rustic one-story vernacular log structure built on a native rubble stone foundation. The architecture of this structure is unembellished, relatively simple in approach, but therein lies its character, purity in form, and subsequent significance. The original portion of the lodge structure, still essentially intact, is an end-gabled log structure with distinctive symmetry. The end-gabled front porch, constructed of milled logs and timbers which match the log construction, is located in the center of the primary south facade. This porch further echoes the symmetry with double 6 light entry doors. To each side of this are matching ribbon fenestrations, each composed of 4 continuous double true divided light casement window units. Each individual casement window is composed of 8 lights, 4 over 4. Other typical features of the primary facade include exposed roof rafter tails, exposed header/rim joists, and end lapped, but unnotched, logs. On each end of the original primary facade, later additions carefully reflect the major detailing features of the lodge, and this similarity and balance maintain the symmetrical and simplistic form of the primary facade. The east and west end facades each include a massive stone fireplace, with one 8 light single casement window to each side.