Buffalo Park
2400 N Gemini Rd, Flagstaff, AZ, 86004
Fifteen minutes from downtown Flagstaff, Buffalo Park is one of the city’s favorite green spaces. The highlight of the park is a flat, 2.2-mile (3.5-kilometer) loop trail on a grassy mesa peppered with ponderosa pines and overlooking the magnificent San Francisco Peaks. On warm days especially, runners, bikers, picnickers, and all manner of locals and visitors flock to this scenic meadow at the foot of Mt. Elden.
The basics
Bring your bike, your dog, or sneakers and a pair of headphones to walk the roughly 45-minute loop around the Buffalo Park trail. Pack a picnic lunch to make an afternoon of it, or pass by on a longer trek along the connected Flagstaff Urban Trail System. Visiting Buffalo Park with a guide is another option—join a bike tour that explores the city’s best trails, as well as highlights like the Pioneer Museum, Lowell Observatory, and gems along Route 66.
Things to know before you go
The park has water fountains and public restrooms.
The loop trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
Dogs are allowed in the park, as long as they’re on a leash.
For an extra burn on your walk or run, take advantage of the accessible exercise stations placed around the loop.
Keep an eye out for local wildlife, including deer, ravens, sparrows, and Arizona’s state butterfly, the two-tailed swallowtail.
How to get there
Driving is the easiest way to get to Buffalo Park, which is 2 miles (3 kilometers) from downtown; there’s a large parking lot at the entrance on North Gemini Road. Cycling is another option, as is public transportation—take the Route 2 bus from the Downtown Connection Center.
When to get there
Buffalo Park is open all year, but it’s at its most beautiful in the late spring and summer, once the wildflowers have bloomed. Between May to September, depending on the year’s rainfall, Flagstaff is blanketed in blooms, and temperatures are pleasantly warm. The city also celebrates its annual Star Party in September, when the public is invited to join local astronomers in Buffalo Park for some particularly good stargazing.
How to extend your hike
Well-connected with the Flagstaff Urban Trail System, Buffalo Park is a convenient addition to longer hikes throughout the area. To trek among more of those dreamy ponderosa pines in the Coconino National Forest, head south from Buffalo Park to the Arizona Trail. For city views over Flagstaff and the surrounding desert and mountains, follow Oldham Trail toward the southern slopes of Mt. Elden.
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