Buffalo Mountain Trail
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This trail rises above the winter vacation condos of Silverthorne and the din of Interstate 70 to the top of 12,777-foot Buffalo Mountain, the humped peak that dominates the view from the westbound lanes descending from the Eisenhower Tunnel. With an elevation gain of 3,000 feet in 2.8 miles, it is brutally strenuous. The trail starts at the Buffalo Cabin Trailhead off Ryan Gulch Road in Silverthorne. Enter the Eagles Nest Wilderness and after .4 miles turn left at a four-way intersection onto the Buffalo Mountain Trail. Past some cabin ruins the trail begins to switchback steeply up above timberline and through a boulder field. The talus gives way to grassy tundra after two miles but the gradient remains unrelentingly steep as you climb the shoulder of Buffalo Mountain to the summit. Look for mountain goats, drink in the views of the heart of Colorado ski country, then return the way you came.
Pro Tips
Recommended season(s): Mid-summer – mid-fall.
–R. Scott Rappold




