West Buffalo Peak

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 12/13/2021, By: Shooter
Info: No need for traction or flotation. Brought spikes and never considered putting them on. Some punchy areas in the trees on the return back to the road but snowshoes wouldn't do much. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 11/28/2021, By: coloradomojo
Info: Route up East Buffalo was mostly dry. Traverse across to West was dry. Descent off of West Buffalo through the basin did encounter some snow. I'd want snowshoes if attempting the loop after the next snow. Views from two summits are truly amazing. Could see peaks in five different ranges in literally every direction. Plus the view of the Arkansas river valley with the Sawatch behind the valley was breath taking. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 11/18/2021, By: MC.Ikema
Info: Still very dry. Inch deep snow in the willows if you step off the boot pack but very negligible. No snow gear taken or desired. Maybe 2-3" deep snow in the basin if you decide to descend off West Buffalo instead of regaining the summit of East Buffalo. Road to the TH is dry and pleasant. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 11/10/2021, By: CoHi591
Info: Very dry! We only stepped on snow a handful of times throughout the day, intermittent for maybe a half mile below treeline and it was only an inch or two deep, definitely no need for snow gear as of now. Really enjoyable ascent of East and hike over to West, spectacular views and enjoyable terrain, we sort of botched the descent off of West and found probably the least efficient way to rejoin the ascent trail (I had several GPX tracks but Gaia chose that moment to just stop working). Would have been more enjoyable f we'd traversed back over to our ascent trail higher/sooner than we did, but it was still a great day on some under-appreciated peaks. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 10/23/2021, By: gluckhikes
Info: Patchy snow along the approach road/trail, then totally dry on the ridge up East Buffalo and over to West Buffalo. A couple inches of snow in the trees when looping back toward the trail, but it's easy walking. A few sets of footprints now as well. No traction needed. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 7/6/2021, By: brauda02
Info: Did the loop over east and west Buffalo today. Route is well cairned up to East Buffalo. Then it's much more sparse. I relied heavily on CalTopo to get back to the road on the descent. Full summer conditions. Beautiful hike. You'll find solitude here. 

Route: From Fourmile TH/Chaffee CR 375
Posted On: 6/11/2021, By: supranihilest
Info: Summer conditions. I took the Tumble Creek trail to the Salt Creek trail, when the latter turned 90 degrees right I left the trail and bushwhacked up Salt Creek to treeline. A GPS was helpful in spots where the peaks weren't visible. Copious deadfall in the aspen glades. Above treeline the route is entirely talus and scree but plainly obvious. No snow to contend with. I traversed from West Buffalo to East Buffalo which involved minor scrambling on solid rock. Descended East Buffalo's southwest slopes towards my ascent route and followed that back to the trail. 

Route: SW
Posted On: 2/1/2021, By: drop_bear
Info: Buffalo boyz looking very sparse on the SW 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 10/31/2020, By: Sbenfield
Info: Pretty simple drive to the TH, no road closure. Sugary type snow in the forest and some snow up high, but did not need micros or snowshoes. Did the traverse to East Buffalo as well and the loop. Didn't really follow any trail on the way down & we sorta just wandered through the forest until the car. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 9/26/2020, By: angry
Info: Dry to summit, no register. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 7/5/2020, By: CaitieClimbs
Info: Dry and clear other small amount of snow in the basin, easy to skirt on the descent. 

Route: from the South
Posted On: 1/27/2020, By: Dad Mike
Info: Climbed East and West Buffalo Peaks from County Road 375. I was able to drive to within about 1/4 mile of the winter gate closure. Starting elevation was 8900'. Road was tracked for about the first mile and then it was untouched. The trail breaking was tough and I considered turning around a few times. It got worse after reaching the Fourmile TH at around 3 miles in. I turned off the trail and into a meadow after mile 5 and headed for the basin between the 2 peaks. The peaks were scoured and I was able to stash the snowshoes around 12,000'. View of the entire Sawatch range from West Buffalo was worth the effort. 6:30am - 4:30pm...15 miles...5300' 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 9/13/2017, By: JasonKline
Info: Snow free. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 6/24/2017, By: tjf242424
Info: Small snowfield still present on the descent from West Buffalo, but easily crossed in light hikers with poles. The rest of the route is snow-free. The traverse back through the forest is a bit of a thrash. I didn't use GPS, but if you stay close to 11,600 ft, you'll pop out at the right spot. 

Route: Buffalo Peaks from the North
Posted On: 6/20/2017, By: cardgenius
Info: Decended the Northwest shoulder back into the forest. One large snowfield that was unavoidable but easy to cross. Lots wildflowers are starting to bloom down low by the creeks. A few marshy spots but nothing to bad in the forest. I used the .gpx tracks to find my way through the forest to get back to the trail and I'm glad I did. There is no trail at all so it's very easy to get off track and lost.