Welcome to the Buffalo Creek Campground and biking review! Originally we had planned to camp at Turquoise Lake, but after calling the campsite, we learned that they still had plenty of snow on the ground, the lake was still covered with sheets of ice, and parts that weren’t covered in snow were extremely muddy. So we decided to look for options at lower elevation and closer to home. Before kids, we used to camp and bike at Buffalo Creek. We decided to risk it and look for dispersed camping sites and walk-up sites.

Walk-up Campsite

After driving through all the dispersed camping sites, we didn’t find anything. With the kids and pop-up in tow, we started to think we were going to have to turn around. But then, the Buffalo Creek Campground had spots available!

I wouldn’t recommend this method as it usually doesn’t work out, and it’s uncertain if you will get a spot or not. We would have been really disappointed if all that packing and prep was for nothing.

Buffalo Creek Campground Info

We felt really lucky to get our spot, and talked about how this is a campground we would have booked, because the spots offer enough distance and privacy, there are vaulted toilets available, and there is good biking nearby. It’s also always nice to be so close to the Denver area in case we need to bail on the trip altogether due to weather or sickness or any other unforeseen circumstance with the kids. Here is a little campsite info:

• No electric hook-ups
• No water-come prepared!
• Vaulted toilets
• Picnic tables
• No dump station
• Fire rings-make sure to check the fire regulations
• Nearby trails for hiking and biking
• Located about an hour and a half from Denver in Pine, CO. See directions here.
• $22 per overnight site
• 38 total sites with 24 reserve-able and 14 walk-ups
• This is bear country. Lock up all your food in your car!

The campground has two loops, kind of like a figure 8. The kids spent most of their time riding their bikes around the circle of our site. We could see them the whole time which was nice. However, cars were constantly in and out presumably looking for open sites just like we did. When the kids weren’t riding their bikes they played in the hammock, played tag or played cards and board games.

Biking the Colorado and Green Mountain Trail

The adults took turns with a guys’ bike ride and a ladies’ bike ride. Us ladies took the Buffalo Trailhead to the Green Mountain Trail. It’s a 3.5 mile trail shaped kind of like a horseshoe. Then it makes a loop by connecting on the Colorado Trail for a bit. So in total, I think we rode just under 7 miles. I won’t tell you how long we took, but I will say the guys had a plan to come searching for us. We like to stop and take pictures. Also, we are slower than most, and get to the side to let everyone pass us.

The trail is rated a blue as intermediate. Depending on which direction you go there is a pretty good portion of the ride as a climb followed by a decent and rolling hills. Pretty much all of Buffalo Creek has lots of exposed roots on the trail and some rocks to make it mildly technical.

Camping Cocktail

Of course the ladies had a camping cocktail! We went with a mudslide since we were originally camping at a site that was going to be muddy. Then we just stuck with it, since it sounded good. Here’s the recipe we used:

• 1 part Deep Eddy Vodka
• 1 part Arrosta Coffee Liquor
• 1 part St. Brendan’s Irish Cream Liquor
• Ice

You could use any variation of vodka, coffee liquor and Irish cream of course, but I highly recommend the Arrosta Coffee Liquor. This is a very sweet and very strong drink so you don’t need too much. It also makes a great dessert drink or nightcap.

Buffalo Creek Campground Highlights

To sum up, Buffalo Creek Campground makes a great camping spot for kids and adults. I like that it is lower elevation than Turquoise Lake for less intense weather and that is closer to town should we need to abort the trip. Additionally, any campground with a fire ring, picnic tables and bathrooms is ideal for camping with kids. A decent amount of space and privacy between sites is always a plus. I also loved that I could see my kids at all times as long as they stayed around the loop where our site was located. What do you look for in a campsite?

Happy camping!

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