Mountain Lion Activity In Colorado is Highest in Larimer County?

Colorado is a great state for outdoor activities: skiing, camping, boating, fishing, and hiking, to name a few things. About 25 northwest of Loveland, there's an area that puts Larimer County on the top for "Counties with the Most Mountain Lion Activity."

A company colleague recently wrote an article about "Colorado's Mountain Lion Hot Spots;" within the article he lists the 10 counties with the most mountain lion activity. Right at the top of the list is Larimer County. He links to a story from 2019, when that hiker at Horsetooth was attacked; I remember thinking how scary that must have been.

Also within that article, Wes brings up the fatal attack on the Crosier Mountain Trail in Glen Haven that happened in January of 2026. Included was SouthEastColoradoNews' (SECO NEWS) accounts of activity (that were reported to Colorado Parks & Wildlife ) in Larimer County.

READ MORE: The Time a Bear Barreled Into the West Safeway in Loveland

Between late October of 2025 and the January 1, 2026 attack that killed 46-year-old Kristen Marie Kovatch of Fort Collins, there were five reports of activity:

• October 28, 2025: A man was walking his dog off-leash, off McGraw Ranch Road in Estes; a mountain lion attacked and killed the dog.
• October 29, 2025: A woman was walking her dog on West Creek Road (near Glen Haven) when a mountain lion appeared and took her dog.
• November 12, 2025: A man running on the Crosier Trail in Glen Haven, was approached by a mountain lion but not attacked. The man was able to get the mountain lion to move along by waving a tree branch and throwing [objects.]
• November 30, 2025: A man and woman were hiking near the Crosier Mountain Trail when two mountain lions were encountered. The couple were able to get the mountain lions to move off by yelling and throwing rocks. After that, CPW installed a permanent sign at the trailhead, and a temporary sign on the trail itself, warning of mountain lions. The temporary sign was still in place on January 1, 2026.
• December 23, 2025: A man living in Glen Haven had to shoot and kill a mountain lion that was attacking his dog.

In June of 2026, I reached out to Colorado Parks & Wildlife to see if there had been any more reports in the Glen Haven area since January 1 of 2026:

...we've taken 4 reports of mountain lion activity in the Glen Haven area since mid-January.

 

Why is Mountain Lion Activity So Prevalent in Larimer County?

According to SECO NEWS and CPW, it's pretty simple as to why Larimer County has a lot of activity: There are a lot of mountain lions and a lot of people. Mountain like the amount of deer and elk that are in Larimer County and humans like living in the area; hence, the two are going to come across one another.

The Fish & Wildlife Service has several tips when it comes to what do do when you encounter a mountain lion/cougar, including:

• Make yourself appear larger, more aggressive. Open your jacket, raise your arms, and throw stones, branches, etc., without turning away. Wave raised arms slowly, and speak slowly, firmly, loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior.
• Never bend over or crouch down. Doing so causes humans to resemble four-legged prey animals. Crouching down or bending over also makes the neck and back of the head vulnerable.
• Don’t approach a mountain lion/cougar. Most cougars want to avoid humans. Give a cougar the time and space to steer clear of you.