Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · Colorado, Wyoming

Buffalo Ridge

8.1 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1151.1 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead Buffalo Ridge Trailhead Drive there

Buffalo Ridge Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Free

Designated trailhead with access to trails into Mount Zirkel Wilderness. Parking at the trailhead is adequate provided parked vehicles are parked conservatively. Trail grade varies substantially over 8.1 miles and is quite steep in a few places. Water is scarce along the top of Buffalo Ridge and Davis Peak. Campsites are numerous along the trail, but there aren't any campsites on the road into the trailhead nor at the trailhead itself. Good fishing is only available at Seven Lakes. Horse forage is readily available. Good chance for observing elk in the area. This trail lies within the Mt Zirkel Wilderness. Please refer to the Wilderness Regulations. The wilderness is closed to motorized and mechanized vehicles. No developed facilities. Setting is managed forest area. Timberline is at approximately 10,500 feet elevation.

Restrictions Review <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbr/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5133586">wilderness regulations</a> before recreating in&nbsp;the Mount Zirkel Wilderness.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.