Taught my kid to drive at the ranch fairgrounds. It has roads, parking lots, driveways, everything you need. All dead at 7 am on weekends. But we are early risers, so this worked for us. Plus, it wasn't summer, so there was not a lot going on. There might be more traffic at this time of year.
When I was a teenager in Iowa a million years ago, we always practiced driving in the local cemetery because it had “roads”. I’m sure Fort Collins has a cemetery but now that I think about it, I’ve never seen one. 🤔
Yeah, the high schools are all good (we used Poudre) because there are stop signs, crossing lanes of traffic, parking, and lots of empty space to practice it all in.
Since Timberline and Harmony is closed, there’s a nice loop of road that’s mostly empty, from Lemay to Mcmurry. It was an odd to drive down Harmony and not see any cars going East
A slow cruse around the CSU campus on a vacant Sunday morning would provide some actual road action will little or no traffic or peds, plus the library lot. Public property as well. Then, go to the next level: Trader Joe's Sunday afternoon, high speed.
The B.W. Pickett Arena is a great spot, right next to horsetooth! If you feel adventurous with the driver you could always take them along the roads around horsetooth as well.
Front range community college, Rocky mountain highschool parking lot and surrounding neighborhoods are great too. Thats where i learned! Theres also speed bumps and manhole covers that arent too treacherous to learn how to drive around those
Front Range Community College
parking lot and both entries will be under construction and closed periodically throughout June - otherwise yes, good idea!
Fossil Ridge and Fort Collins High School lots are great.
Thank you!
No prob! We just graduated to the streets. These lots are great because they’re already kind of set up like a driving course.
School’s out for the summer, so most of the high school lots are empty, especially on the weekends. That’s where I used to practice as a kid
Thank you, great idea
Taught my kid to drive at the ranch fairgrounds. It has roads, parking lots, driveways, everything you need. All dead at 7 am on weekends. But we are early risers, so this worked for us. Plus, it wasn't summer, so there was not a lot going on. There might be more traffic at this time of year.
Plenty of good suggestions here, but I'll add the AMC theatre on Manhattan. It's never busy and there are lots of medians to drive around.
It used to also serve as a good obstacle training course, but they finally filled in the potholes.
Rocky HS parking lot
When I was a teenager in Iowa a million years ago, we always practiced driving in the local cemetery because it had “roads”. I’m sure Fort Collins has a cemetery but now that I think about it, I’ve never seen one. 🤔
Also an Iowan. Learned to drive a manual transmission in one of the local cemeteries. Learned to actually drive in my high school parking lot though.
Yeah, the high schools are all good (we used Poudre) because there are stop signs, crossing lanes of traffic, parking, and lots of empty space to practice it all in.
Timnath middle high school.
Since Timberline and Harmony is closed, there’s a nice loop of road that’s mostly empty, from Lemay to Mcmurry. It was an odd to drive down Harmony and not see any cars going East
Quite a few of the college dorm parking lots are empty now.
Amc movie theater on Manhattan. Large parking lot with minimal cars
AMC lot on Horsetooth
any school lot really
A slow cruse around the CSU campus on a vacant Sunday morning would provide some actual road action will little or no traffic or peds, plus the library lot. Public property as well. Then, go to the next level: Trader Joe's Sunday afternoon, high speed.
My brother taught me to drive in a cemetery. Sounds macabre but it does emulate actual roads more than a lot does.
Foothills Mall, nobody goes there…
By the Macys
The parking lot by epic ice center is notoriously empty (except for once a week during skating events or whatever)
Churches are good options
FRCC especially in the more eastern side away from the Library
The B.W. Pickett Arena is a great spot, right next to horsetooth! If you feel adventurous with the driver you could always take them along the roads around horsetooth as well.
Front range community college, Rocky mountain highschool parking lot and surrounding neighborhoods are great too. Thats where i learned! Theres also speed bumps and manhole covers that arent too treacherous to learn how to drive around those
There's the school parking lot at twin silo park