Step back in time to a high mountain valley in the Colorado Mountains where ranching's rich heritage still prevails. Cowboys call it home—not the buckle bearing pretenders, but the real deal ---ranchers who don't hesitate to share their kitchen with a sick calf while a snow storm rages outside. With less than two residents per square mile, North Park (Jackson County) is still considered a "frontie
r” by governmental standards and boasts more than 1,600 square miles of soaring vistas and no stop-lights. Entirely surrounded by snow-capped peaks, the headwaters of the North Platte are formed, feeding this fertile valley with lush hay meadows and trout-rich streams, rivers, and lakes. Located in North Park's southwestern border near the quaint town of Rand (population 14; counting cats and dogs), The Buffalo Creek Ranch is a rare diamond among jewels. Whereas many ranches spread across open sage plains swept by wind-driven snow, The Buffalo Creek Ranch's unique, natural landscape sets it apart. Quietly nestled in its' own private valley, its borders are created by pine, spruce, and aspen covered ridges shadowed by the snow-capped peaks of the Continental Divide. With lush hay meadows starting at 8,500 feet, punctuated by wildflowers, the landscape gently ascends into aspen groves then rises into the dark timber of the wild Rockies topping out at over 11,000 feet. This is where its creeks are born, eventually meandering their way within walking distance of our lodge, offering brook, rainbow, cutthroat, and brown trout to the angler, and feeding the heart of this ranch: the magnificent 45 acre Buffalo Lake.
