Buffalo Peaks Loop Colorado Hike Guide

The Buffalo Peaks loop is a moderately trafficked 12 mile loop in the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Area.  The hike pairs the Rough and Tumbling Creek trail with the Rich Creek trail to form a loop. The Buffalo Peaks loop is a great long day trip or overnight backpacking trip that offers plenty of great camping spots and numerous sources of water. The Buffalo Peaks loop is not a difficult hike, but does require several stream crossings which can be difficult when water levels are high.

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Buffalo Peaks Loop Hike Quick Facts

Buffalo Peaks Loop Trail Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)

Distance: 12.2 miles RT

Elevation Start: 9,950 ft

Summit: 11,500 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 1,600 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 7 Hours

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 1

Season: May – October (Trail is doable outside of this period, but plan for snow)

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Directions to Buffalo Peaks Loop

Getting Here: To reach Buffalo Peak Loop, from the town of Fairplay, continue south on US Highway 285 for another 4.8 miles until you reach County Road 5 (Weston Pass Road) on your right. Turn right on this road for 7 miles until you reach a fork in the road. Head right at the fork and drive another 2.9 miles until you reach a small parking area and the trailhead on your left. You can enter Rich Creek trailhead into your GPS.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed in BUffalo Peaks Wilderness and this is a fantastic loop to bring them on. There are several water sources along the way and the trail is almost always packed dirt.

Camping: Back-country camping is permitted in Buffalo Creek Wilderness. There is also some limited car camping available near the trailhead.

Make it a Loop: By following the Rough and Tumbling Creek trail to the Rich Creek trail, this is a loop. If you are looking to form a larger loop, you could take the Lynch creek trail to the Salt Creek trail back to the Tumble Creek and Rich Creek trails. 

Trail X Factors: Water Level

Without question, the biggest X-Factor of the Buffalo Peaks loop is the water level of the streams and creeks in the area. The trail essentially follows one body of water or another  for the entire 12 miles which can make following it (or crossing said creeks) rather difficult when the water levels are high. Make sure you have an extra pair of socks and some form of waterproof shoes because your feet are probably going to get wet.

Hike Tip(s): I always recommend having a map of the area, but for this hike I would say it is a rather essential part of your packing list. Due to the high water levels, what the Buffalo Peaks wilderness looks like in September might be completely different than June. I know I would have been in bad shape at one or two points during this hike without a topographical map of the route. For those looking to backpack this loop, avoid looking for your camping spot at the 6 through 7 mile mark. This section is where most people tend to camp and you may have a harder time finding seclusion or a solid camping spot, especially on a weekend day.  

Best Views: The Buffalo Peaks Loop does not provide fantastic aerial views of high peaks into the expansive wilderness, but that does not mean there are not worthwhile photo opportunities along the way. Towards the 6 – 7 mile mark of this loop, the trail opens into massive fields that are extremely beautiful. This area is a great spot to look for moose, mule deer, or other wildlife and was one of my favorite to photograph. Pack your camera in a waterproof container or bag as there is a lot of water along this route and accidents happen!

My Trip Buffalo Peaks Loop: June 2016

Before heading out to the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness, I decided that I wanted to make this 12 mile loop an overnight trip. This was my first backpacking trip of the season and I wanted to get into the summer swing of things. I arrived at the trailhead around 2PM and there were about 10-15 other cars there. I was not sure if these were all “overnighters” or just people wrapping up their day trip. I decided to do the trip counter clockwise, so I started down the trail and hooked a left at the first fork in the road. The trail for the first few miles was very peaceful and I didn’t see anyone along the way. Although the trail started with a bit of an incline, it evened out eventually and was pretty flat until about mile 3. Around that time I started to cross some of the streams and creeks fueled with melting mountain snow. Since this winter brought great late season snow pack, the creeks were raging and in many cases spilling over to the trail. Crossing these creeks became a bit of a puzzle each time, but none were too difficult to manage. At mile 4 or so, the trail began to climb steadily along one of those aforementioned creeks until I reached the wide open fields. This is around the point I decided to stay the night, but quickly realized several other groups shared that same idea.

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Once I resumed my hike in the morning, I had no problem following the trail for another 2 miles. However, at the next intersection with one of the many creeks in the area, I completely lost the trail (you can probably tell where by looking at the GPS above). It took me several minutes to realize that I had to cross a wide stream to continue the trail on the other side. My book depicted the trail on the right side of the creek all the way back to the trailhead which was extremely confusing because that is no longer the case. Once I picked the trail back up, it was a very straight forward for the remaining miles and made for a quick pretty end to the loop. 

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The Buffalo Peaks loop is a great long day hike or overnight trip with relatively few people sharing the trail with you. While the trail is about 12 miles, there is very little elevation gain and is not an extremely taxing trail.  I am very glad that I had a map of the area and an extra pair of socks because almost the entire trail is within 100 yards of water. This makes for great access to drinking water, but may increase the difficulty of following the trail in the wet months of the spring. 

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