When Fort Collins rocks it, you know the multitudes will come.

And on the Fourth of July, we are going to rock it. I'll help to start the celebration of America by hosting the Fort Collins Fourth of July parade. There are events all throughout the day and night, and parking will be at a premium.

It's actually not difficult to park in Old Town Fort Collins because most of the streets are very wide and offer on street parking on both sides of the street.

Of course, the closer you get to Mountain Ave and City Park, the fewer spots you will see. Three blocks, even four blocks away, there will be some parking. So, if you can walk a few minutes, you won't have to look long for parking.

Check out the map. It is a capture that shows spots north and south of the parade route that could yield spots on the morning of the Fourth of July. If the road isn't highlighted, that doesn't necessarily mean that parking would be good or bad there. For some, especially those close to Mountain, I would just assume that by close to parade time, they'll be filled. For others, they may offer parking, but aren't in sections that are easy to navigate. I highlighted what I think will work. It doesn't mean the other spots won't.

The section that is highlighted north of the parade route offers a lot of parking. As Maple runs into Meldrum and then Howes, the end of the parade route, there is diagonal parking from there all the way to College Ave. Also, from Maple to Laporte on College there are a lot of regularly unused parking spaces, even when there is a big event in town.

The majority of the people will park around City Park, Old Town, and south of Laporte. If you go one block beyond Laporte, my guess (having lived there for 7 years) is that it will be pretty open.

Fireworks Parking

In the afternoon, the area around City Park is going to swell with people. If you look at the map above, some of those spots on Maple are 2 miles away from City Park. They'll be open, but they are far away. When it comes to parking to see the fireworks, the same idea holds. The further away you go, the more spots you'll find, and if you cruise in through the unique nooks of that section of Old Town, you are likely to find something with a short walk.

 

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