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+ 107

Buffalo Creek IMBA Epic Loop (Buff Creek Colorado Trail Gashouse Charlie's Cutoff Sandy Wash)

Mountain Biking Trail

Moderate
23.93 mi
2,912 ft
A big loop of the most iconic trails at the popular Buffalo creek.

Most riders on Colorado’s Front Range consider Buffalo Creek the go-to destination for flowy, swoopy, buffed-out singletrack, hence the nickname “Buff Creek.” This classic trail system has long been popular with cross country-style mountain bikers, but just about anybody that rides a bike will have a great time on the trails at Buffalo Creek.

The classic singletrack and incredible trail quality found here has earned Buffalo Creek the coveted IMBA Epic designation. The loop mapped here is the certified IMBA Epic route. This route utilizes trails like Nice Kitty, the Colorado Trail, Gashouse, Charlie’s Cutoff, and the iconic Sandy Wash descent.

The singletrack in this system is mostly smooth, punctuated by the occasional rock garden and slab of grippy granite. The “dirt” consists of stereotypical Colorado Front Range kitty litter, aka decomposed granite. This makes many of the corners very slippery and much more challenging than they may first appear.

The views from openings on the hillside can be expansive, displaying rolling hills giving way to mountains in the distance, and monolithic rock outcroppings peppering the hillside. Newer trail developments in the system make use of these technical rock features, most notably the double black diamond Blackjack trail.

Buffalo Creek offers a wide variety of ride options, with Blackjack and Little Scraggy both being very popular routes. But if you’re looking for a great sampler platter that hits all of the longtime classics, the loop shown here is a great place to start. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Buff Creek Big Loop IMBA Epic22.40 mi1,289 ft0.0%
Hello Kitty (First 1.7 Miles Up Kitty)1.65 mi561 ft6.0%
Nice Kitty-Buffalo Burn-CT to FR 550, full climb5.88 mi1,106 ft3.5%
Nice Kitty to CT5.20 mi1,050 ft3.8%
LoToHi - Kitty above 8K9.69 mi1,270 ft2.5%
Segment22.93 mi1,565 ft0.3%
Kitty Up (Bridge to CT Junction)3.75 mi873 ft4.4%
Bridge to pipe5.39 mi1,106 ft3.9%
Nice Kitty++ to Summit6.12 mi1,115 ft3.4%
cougar fun1.01 mi171 ft2.5%
Upper Kitty Ascent1.85 mi430 ft4.4%
Nice Kitty SB, 2nd pitch1.67 mi413 ft4.7%
Last Gasp to the Signpost0.46 mi102 ft4.1%
Buffalo Burn (Nice Kitty to CT)1.45 mi128 ft1.6%
CT (B.B. to Shinglemill)1.76 mi-128 ft-0.2%
Warm up from Little Scraggy0.46 mi62 ft0.7%
CT 550 to Buffalo Creek Road7.46 mi-633 ft-1.1%
CO Trail Leaving Scraggy to Meadows CG Road4.55 mi-620 ft-1.3%
Colorado Trail Climb1.00 mi328 ft6.2%
West Bound n' Down3.33 mi-692 ft-3.9%
Downhill Mania0.76 mi-335 ft-8.3%
#ENDUROLYFE0.56 mi-220 ft-7.5%
Segment0.77 mi102 ft1.3%
Segment1.47 mi236 ft2.8%
Segment2.33 mi620 ft4.9%
Segment0.70 mi164 ft3.8%
Gashouse Climb to Baldy Junction1.83 mi423 ft4.1%
Segment1.52 mi348 ft4.1%
Back Side Downhill!6.54 mi-1,286 ft-3.7%
Buff Creek North Side Descent - Gashouse/Baldy > Miller > Charlie's > Homestead > Sandy Wash6.42 mi-1,207 ft-3.6%
Upper Upper Gashouse0.58 mi-72 ft-2.3%
Charlies/Homestead/Sandy/Parking Lot6.26 mi-1,293 ft-3.9%
Charlie's Cutoff (Descent)1.30 mi-262 ft-3.7%
Charlie's voodoo2.46 mi-571 ft-4.4%
Charlies/Homestead/Sandy descent5.50 mi-1,250 ft-4.3%
Charlie's Cutoff (proper start)1.19 mi-312 ft-4.9%
Charlie's Best0.46 mi-144 ft-5.9%
Voodoo Rocks1.06 mi-262 ft-4.4%
Bottoms Up (out of creek)0.12 mi52 ft7.6%
upper Sandy Wash2.21 mi-564 ft-4.8%
Sandy Wash Proper (Descent)2.07 mi-577 ft-5.3%
Sandy Wash DH Rev Enduro 31.95 mi-623 ft-6.0%
Sandy Wash Downhill2.53 mi-696 ft-5.2%
Sandy Wash Start to Femur Snap Drop0.54 mi-174 ft-6.1%
Sandy Wash DH (start of decent to creek crossing)1.54 mi-525 ft-6.5%
Sand in the Chamois1.43 mi-479 ft-6.3%
Lower Sandy Wash0.57 mi-102 ft-2.9%
Sanday Bottom0.53 mi-33 ft-0.2%
Lower Sandy Wash - Proper0.39 mi-112 ft-5.4%
Race to the IPA0.58 mi-56 ft-1.7%