The Cache la Poudre is the only river in Colorado with National Wild and Scenic status, and Highway 14 spends a good thirty miles of its length following the water up into the mountains. The name is French, from the early trappers who, according to the story, buried a stock of gunpowder somewhere along its banks in the 1820s after a blizzard forced them to lighten their loads, and called the place the hiding place of the powder.
The canyon starts a short way north-west of Fort Collins, where the plains suddenly give way to rock, and from there the road runs close to the river in a winding course between granite walls. In the lower reaches the bends are tight, with overhanging cliffs and little shoulder, and the speed limit is often low for good reason. Further up, the canyon widens into pine and aspen forest and the river slows into pools and riffles, popular with anglers and rafters in early summer when snowmelt is high. Bighorn sheep appear on the cliffs, and in winter the river steams in the cold.
Riding the canyon is a pleasure of rhythm rather than speed. It is a road for cruising, with a steady stream of cars, bicycles and rafting vans, so it is better on weekdays. Rockfalls and washouts can close sections, wildfire has marked the upper canyon in recent years, and flash floods in the burn areas are a real hazard. In winter the shaded sections ice early and stay icy.
Fort Collins, at the bottom, has everything, and Estes Park is a long ride over the mountains. If you are heading west, the sensible approach is to fill up in Fort Collins, carry water and a warm layer, and keep going through Cameron Pass to Walden, where the next real services are.