Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · Colorado

Buchanan Pass

16 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 910 · trail class 2 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Campgrounds

Along the way Peaceful Valley Campground

Trailheads Buchanan Pass Wilderness Trailhead Drive there · Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead Drive there

Buchanan Pass Wilderness Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Buchanan Pass Wilderness Trailhead is five miles west of Camp Dick at the end of the Middle Saint Vrain four-wheel-drive extreme road. This road should only be attemped by experienced drivers with a high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle. Limited parking is available in a small parking area.

View an area map here.

This trailhead provides access to the Buchanan Pass Trail . For current information on road openings and closures, check the Road Status Table .

Restrictions Indian&nbsp;Peak Wilderness restrictions apply: <ul><li><strong>Motorized equipment&nbsp;and mechanized&nbsp;transportation are prohibited. </strong></li><li><strong>Pets must be on a hand-held leash at all times. </strong></li><li><strong>Campfires are prohibited year round.</strong></li><li><strong>Campsites must be at least 100 feet&nbsp;away from water and trail.</strong></li><li><strong>Group size is limited to 12 (people and livestock combined).</strong></li><li><strong>Processed weed-free feed is required for stock.</strong></li><li><strong>Practice <a href="http://lnt.org/why/7-principles/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsvkoYej7AIVjYTICh2FQgqwEAAYASABEgK3nvD_BwE">Leave No Trace principles.</a></strong></li></ul>Fishing and hunting: permitted in accordance with regulations established by the Colorado Parks &amp; Wildlife.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead lies at the west end of Camp Dick Campground . There is parking for 30 vehicles, with room for a small horse trailer. Four-wheel-drive high clearance vehicles may be able to continue four miles west on the rough Middle Saint Vrain Road (National Forest System Road 114) to Buchanan Pass Trailhead . Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead provides access to Buchanan Pass Trail and the Middle Saint Vrain four-wheel-drive road.

The Middle Saint Vrain road and trailhead access are open seasonally: Road Status Table . The Motor Vehicle Use Map is available online.

Restrictions <strong>The following regulations apply to the Middle St Vrain Road:</strong> <ul><li>Dispersed camping is prohibited&nbsp;within the first&nbsp;1/2 mile.</li><li>All vehicles must be either street-legal or registered annually through Colorado State Parks&#39; OHV Registration Program.</li><li>Campsites should be at least 100 feet away from water and trail.</li><li>Campfires are allowed provided no temporary fire restrictions are in place.</li></ul><strong>The following regulations apply to the Buchanan Pass Trail&nbsp;east of the Indian Peaks Wilderness boundary:</strong> <ul><li>Dispersed camping is prohibited&nbsp;within the first&nbsp;1/2 mile.</li><li>Dogs prohibited between December 1 and April 30.</li><li>Campsites should be at least 100 feet away from water and trail.</li><li>Campfires are allowed provided no temporary fire restrictions are in place.</li></ul><strong>The following regulations apply to the Buchanan Pass Trail&nbsp;within the Indian Peaks Wilderness:</strong> <ul><li>Permits required for overnight use (see permit requirements above).</li><li>Motorized equipment and mechanized&nbsp;transportation are prohibited (no bicycles).</li><li>Dogs prohibited between December 1 and April 30. Outside of these dates, pets must be on a hand-held leash at all times.</li><li>Campfires are prohibited year round.</li><li>Campsites must be at least 100 feet&nbsp;away from water and trail.</li><li>Group size is limited to 12 (people and livestock combined).</li><li>Processed weed-free feed is required for stock.</li><li>Practice <a href="http://lnt.org/why/7-principles/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsvkoYej7AIVjYTICh2FQgqwEAAYASABEgK3nvD_BwE">Leave No Trace principles.</a></li></ul><strong>Fishing and hunting is allowed in accordance with regulations established by the Colorado Parks &amp; Wildlife.</strong>

Accessibility <p><strong>The Middle Saint Vrain road&nbsp;and trailhead access are open seasonally. For current information&nbsp;on road openings and closures, check the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5339508">Road Status Table.</a></strong></p><p>Conditions are generally best from June through October. Higher elevations on this trail are typically snowy until late June or even July in wet years.</p>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests

All 460 trails in Arapaho and Roosevelt National ForestsFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.