A white Tacoma with a camper shell parked on a rise above a broad, empty basin under building cloud.

Forest Service campground

Buffalo Springs

Forest Service campground in Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, Park County, Colorado. 9,193 feet. 13.2 miles from Fairplay.

Managed by
Forest Service Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands
Elevation
9,193 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
17 16 standard non-electric, 1 tent only non-electric
Longest rig
40 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
None listed
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Park County

Overview

Buffalo Springs Campground sits on a rolling hillside in the San Isabel National Forest, providing an ideal setting for biking, hiking, horseback riding and rock climbing.

Recreation

Picnicking and wildlife watching are also great activities. Look out for sightings of mule deer, bald eagles and chipmunks. Volleyball courts and horseshoe pits are also provided on-site.

Facilities

Campsites are widely spaced. Parking aprons are dirt and rocky and fit a maximum trailer length of 30 feet. Amenities include campfire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets, drinking water and parking for up to two vehicles.

Natural Features

Tucked in a stand of aspen, spruce and other mixed conifers, Buffalo Springs offers private, secluded campsites. At 9,000 feet altitude, the campground maintains a glowing reputation as a place for excellent mountain views.

Nearby Attractions

The nearest large fishing and boating lake is Antero Reservoir, the first man-made lake to be built on the South Platte River. The lake produces trophy class fish, including rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout.

The nearest town is Fairplay, Colorado, a historic gold mining settlement of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. The town has an open air museum that sets that helps recreate the life and times of the 19th century gold rush era.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking

The land around Buffalo Springs

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated May 18, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.