I’ve been to the Buffalo Creek region (an area of National Forest generally west and southwest of the small town of Buffalo Creek) several times now and feel I have a pretty good appreciation for the types of rides that can be found out there.  The beginner rider can find some nice smooth, generally level trail on the south part of this area, along the Colorado Trail. The advanced rider can find some large hill climbs and fast downhill on the northern part of this area.  Strings of intermediate trail can be found anywhere in between.  Of course, this is just one person’s opinion so please don’t yell at me if these trail descriptions seem in any way innacurate to you.  ALWAYS carry a good map with you, and read up on the area you are going to visit as much as possible before riding.  This is just one tool in your arsenal!

Map of the area put out by the National Forest Service. I’ve taken it and modified it to reflect the trails I’ve ridden in the area.


My map illustrating the routes I’ve ridden (click for large version)

Red Route (easy/intermediate) [all pics]

This route begins at the Little Scraggy parking lot/trailhead which is at Hwy 126 and FR 550 (about 15 miles south of Pine Junction/Hwy 285).  You will need $4 for parking at this lot, but there are restrooms and picnic tables here.  The trail itself is rather level here (picture on the right), and very well maintained.  The grade is generally level on most of the route from this parking lot to the Meadows Campground about 8 or so miles down the path.  The easy route is to simply take the Colorado Trail (CT) from one end to the other, then return.  Alternatively, you could turn around anywhere in between if you get too tired out there.  This is one of the busiest trails in this entire region for bikes, so in that respect you will have a lot of company if you have a flat or other mechanical problem.  There is only one major hill on the entire length (downhill on your way out, up on the way back!).  The full out and back is about 16 miles.

To make this an intermediate trail, you can add in the Green Mountain Loop (visible on my map).  This is a fairly steep grade up onto a ridge top, and while the journey can be rough, the views from the top are outstanding (see left).  This is an excellent place to stop and eat a lunch or at least take a nice break.  Then, you will descend the backside of the ridge, leading you down into the Meadows Campground, allowing you to finish out the loop and return back along the CT to finish this journey.  This loop is about 18 miles total.

Blue Loop (intermediate/borderline advanced) [all pics]

This loop begins at the same parking lot as the trail above, but adds a whole lot more trail to your day.  The trail itself is overall quite easy (non-technical) but the length bumps it up in difficulty.  You will head out on the CT once again, passing the Meadows Campground and continuing on the CT (pick it up west of the campground).  The worst part of this section is that between Meadows and FR 560 it is almost all uphill (although generally a mild, constant uphill rather than a heavy grind).  This section of trail is less used, and compared to the stretch east of the campground, this will probably seem like you are alone in the wilderness.  If you do see someone, chances are they will be vets such as yourself, rather than little kids with training wheels (it happens here!).

Once you reach FR 560, you will probably want to juice up and rest for a bit.  You have the option at this point of simply turning around and redoing your steps to return back to the car.  However, when we did this journey we were pretty tired from the constant climbing and were looking forward to something a little easier on the way back, so we opted to take the road for a while (FR 560 to FR 550, hang a right), then connect back to the trail where it leaves the public road and enters doubletrack along Buffalo Creek (this is known as 543 Road Trail – and is rated as super-easy fire road).  This section (begins just north of Meadows Campground) was fast and furious and all downhill (see right) and easy until the town of Buffalo Creek proper.  Unfortunately, this signals the beginning of one of the worst climbs I’ve done in a long time.  For several miles you must go up the blacktop of Hwy 126 until you reach FR 550 again and the parking lot.  This is the main reason I would suggest avoiding this route unless you are a veteran and just aren’t afraid of long, hot climbs.  Personally, I never want to do this segment again! The total loop I believe was around 32 miles…

Orange Loop (intermediate) [all pics]

This loop begins in the Pine Valley Open Space park, located northwest of the town of Buffalo Creek.  If you are coming from Pine Junction, the turnoff is a couple miles before the town of BC.  This park has all modern facilities and 4 parking lots – which I am told do fill up on occasion.  This park is popular!  And, for us bikers, it is for good reason.  PV is the gateway to some of the best riding (in my opinion) in the entire Buffalo Creek region.

You will start out going along the only trail in PV which is open to bikes…but it quickly turns south and heads for the National Forest land.  And, while going south, you are also going to start going UP.  Yes, this is a fairly steep climb, but the worst of it only lasts for about the first mile, then it levels off considerably.  I recommend taking the left fork (Strawberry Jack) on your way up, as this route seemed like it would have been much easier than doing it the other way.  You will be returning from the other way…

Once the first mile is over, you will continue to climb at a more gradual pace as you enter an area of rock outcroppings and an exposed ridgeline (see above, left).  From there, you will enter the trees once again and continue upwards, although on a slightly less steep incline.  You will eventually reach the junction with Skipper Trail, but you will want to stay to the left and continue gradually uphill for another half mile or so (yes, this is somewhat of a slog).  Yet, once you reach the trail marker for Charlie’s Cutoff (avoid Homestead Trail), you will be in for a real treat.  Going down Charlie’s Cutoff is loads of fun as you weave in and out of trees and over large rocks.  As you continue downward you will eventually come to Homestead Trail, and you want to keep going to the right…and downhill on some interesting trail which runs along the creek.  Just when you think it will go on forever, it crosses the creek, does a steep uphill, and levels off at the junction with Miller Gulch Trail (more of a forest road really). 

Once at Miller, turn right, and begin to go back up (note there are other options on this route, and I am just pointing out the route we took – which was rather enjoyable).  This road is a bit dull (see right), but it will give you a nice chance to chat with your buddies as you regain some of the altitude you just lost doing all that great downhill.  Continue onward until you reach the Gashouse Gulch Trail which comes in on the left.  Begin another awesome section of trail!

Gashouse Gulch Trail starts out in a peaceful meadow, and if you hit it at the right time (May?) you might see fields of yellow flowers all through this area, as we did (see below, left).  The trail here is singletrack, and rides very fast…but why rush when the scenery is so peaceful and mellow?  A nice place to stop for a break!  You will pass the Baldy Trail intersection and proceed along GHG trail as you eventually begin your descent.  The uppermost section of this trail seems to have been recently modified, and there are many challenging little rocky sections which make this part interesting.  The trail eventually picks up speed as you once again flow through the trees and along the hillside.  You will then enter the narrow gulch, and experience switchbacks, zig-zags, rock piles, and trees before exiting onto what feels like a big ramp for about the last quarter mile down to the parking lot!  Open ‘er up!

Once you reach the parking lot (a small one) you will continue left as the singletrack continues out into the burn zone.  This section is a mixture of super-fast singletrack, tight turns, logs, sand, and exposure, making for a trail that keeps you guessing.  Luckily, most of it is still downhill, so in all likelihood you will still be wearing the smile that you had coming down Gashouse.  Eventually, the fun does end as you reach the junction for Baldy Trail, signaling the need to think about climbing once again.  This is a good place to pit out and gas up.

The trail up Baldy is not as bad as we had expected.  I believe that relative to Gashouse, it is the easier of the two, and certainly the less interesting of the two if considering downhills.  There are some steep sections in the first half of the climb, but it levels out on the second half making it just painful, rather than killer steep.  When you reach the large exposed outcropping of rocks which rise up on both sides of you, you’ll know you’ve made it to the top.  Then you will once again make your way into the land of yellow flowers and peaceful meadows as you pedal back to the intersection with Gashouse (see below, right).  From here, it is almost (almost!) all down hill!

You will retrace your steps on Gashouse, return to Miller, then look almost immediately for the left fork which leads back to the top of Charlie’s Cutoff.  It is about 100 yards north of Miller.  Proceed down (fun downhill!) to the junction with Skipper trail, and then continue down on that.  There will be a short climb out of the first drainage system, which at this point might feel like you are going up Mt. Falcon…but it is really not that bad.  Once you reach the parking lot, you will begin Buck Gulch – which to aptly describe it, is about 2 miles straight down!  You will be tempted to get going very VERY fast, but keep in mind the loose state of the rock here (pea gravel) and just use a little extra caution on the turns.  I’ve heard that someone recently fell and died on this section (I hope I heard wrong)...but it is very steep in sections.  I’d much rather go down this than up it!  It ends back on familiar terrain (the intersection with Strawberry Jack) and in no time you are back at the car.  This route I believe was about 19 miles…

EDIT: After a few more rides out here, I can say that one of the best routes is as follows:  Up Strawberry, over to Gashouse and down to Baldy, then up Baldy, back up to Charlie’s cutoff, then LEFT on Homestead, and finally back down Strawberry.  This spreads the climbs and descents out perfectly over the length of the trail and makes for a really nice 18.5 mile loop.

Green Route (advanced only – mostly off-map) [all pics]

This route takes you on some desolate parts of the CT, it involves carrying your bike uphill for 8 miles through Lost Creek Wilderness, and is generally only for complete fools (of which I sadly must include myself!).  You can read about this journey here.

Purple Route (intermediate – begins off-map) [all pics]

This ride began on the South Platte trail head, and is segment 2 of the Colorado Trail.  The initial climb out of the parking lot is by far the hardest part of this section of the Colorado Trail. Within the past several years, a re-routed portion of trail was created and if you carry a map with you, it might show the trail going northwest, instead of the correct southwest. However, the trail is very well marked and easy to follow. Once the initial mile or so of climbing on pea gravel is out of the way, the degree of steepness does ease up somewhat, although this trail continues gradually upward for many more miles. While we were prepared to do some climbing, this section of the CT really kept it coming.

Luckily, the grade is never too steep so that you should be able to grind up most of this trail. The first 1/3 of this trail is burned out from a recent forest fire (see above, left), and is quite interesting to ride through. The second 1/3 of the trail is normal forest (see right), while the last 1/3 is back in the burn zone (you will cross a fire road at one point, and although the trail has no markers on the other side, you DO want to cross the road and continue on the singletrack). The last 1/3 is definitely more level, although you will encounter a variety of ups and downs and at times, some very fast singletrack! The final mile from Hwy 126 to the Little Scraggy Trailhead (where many park for rides into Buffalo Creek area) is nice and flat doubletrack.

The trip back from Little Scraggy is where this section of trail really shines. On the return, your first 1/3 is fun ups and downs (see below), the middle 1/3 has one short uphill section which will be the last of the climbing for the day…and the last 1/3 is pure downhill for what seems like forever! This is payback for all the climbing you had to do on the way in… None of this trail is particularly technical, and most of it is well traveled and well worn. Naturally you can get some pretty good speed going since your visibility in the burn zone is fairly distant.

You will need to bring as much water as you can, especially in the summer months, as there are no water sources on this section of trail. If all goes wrong, you can bail out on Hwy 126 and head down the hill back to the "town" of Buffalo Creek (and take the gravel road back to your car – about 4 miles of pavement down to Buffalo Creek, then right 11 miles on packed gravel back to S. Platte town site, turn right again for about 1/2 mile to the lot). If you have a water filter, you can water up at that point. There is also a fire house at Hwy 126 just a bit north of where it intersects the CT...and supposedly you can use their water spicket to fuel up. However, all effort should be made to ride this trail in both directions, as the return back down the hill is really worthwhile. Set aside 3-4 hours to do the entire route. More if you like to stop, enjoy the scenery, etc.  The whole ride is about 20 miles.

Alternate Easy (ier) Route:  An easier route (write-up here) is to take this trail by starting at the top (where the CT meets Hwy 126), then ride back towards the South Platte (not all the way!).  You can visit Chair Rocks, and explore some really scenic wooded singletrack in the area (this would be an easy out and back ride of maybe 90 minutes for a medium-paced rider).  If you continue on, there is one good climb when you get past the Chair Rocks cutoff (as you head out) that is about 1/3 mile to the summit.  At that point you can either turn around to avoid any more big climbs, or continue on for another couple of miles because the trail in this area is really beautiful.  However, once you start to leave the woods you may want to start thinking about turning around. 

If you get back into the burn zone again, you are going to be going downhill more and more, which means more and more climbing when you turn around.  If you did the Chair Rocks side trip, you’ll probably want to turn around when your odometer reads about 8 miles or just a bit over.  If you’ve gone this far, you will have a good climb on your return – so be prepared.  If you really feel foolish, you can continue all the way down to the trailhead road (pit toilet, refill if you have a water filter)...but I would strongly caution against doing the whole trail section in this direction.  The return journey will be nothing but up…and since there are no trees on much of the trail, it is HOT in the summer.  This would not be a fun way to do this trail!  The full out-and-back would be a round trip of about 20-22 miles depending on if you took the side trip.