Colorado / Jefferson County / Pike National Forest

Buffalo Campground

Closed — Closed for the season. Typically operates from late May through late September, weather dependent. No water, trash service, or host may be available during extended shoulder seasons.

About

Buffalo Campground is situated at an elevation of 7,400 feet in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains within the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area, approximately an hour's drive southwest of Denver. The campground is positioned near Buffalo Creek and serves as a gateway to extensive recreational opportunities in Pike National Forest. The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area features a 40-mile trail system that is particularly popular with mountain bikers, though hikers and horseback riders also frequent the area. Several trailheads are accessible within walking distance of the campground. The Colorado Trail, which stretches nearly 500 miles from Denver to Durango, passes through the area and provides access to the Lost Creek Wilderness. Buffalo Creek itself is a popular fishing stream for brook trout. The scenic drive along County Road 126 from Pine Junction offers magnificent views of valleys below, with Pikes Peak visible at 14,110 feet in the distance. Summer temperatures at this elevation are mild, typically ranging from 75-80 degrees during the day to 55-65 degrees at night. The campground offers single-family sites, with some designated for tent camping only. Each site includes accessible picnic tables and campfire rings with grills. Vault toilets are provided throughout the facility, but no water is available on-site, so visitors must bring all needed water. The area experienced the Buffalo Creek Fire in 1996, and remnants of the blaze are still visible in the surrounding landscape.

Directions

From Denver, travel southwest on Highway 285. Turn south at Pine Junction onto Jefferson County Road 126 and travel approximately 13.5 miles. Turn west (right) on Forest Road 550 and drive 5 miles to the campground.

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