Buffalo Mountain - Fire Tower Climb

Main trail was very easy, but the side trails at the end are a little bit worse, very fun.

Trail was perfectly manageable for AWD, and didn't have a huge clearance barrier to overcome. Very wide open and passable with no worry of pen stripes. Decent amount of cyclists and a couple other vehicles occasionally met on the way. Gate to the fire tower was closed and required a decent hike on foot to get to if that's what you're going for. Lots of good camping spots and side trails for hiking/biking. Awesome beginner trail!

This trail is easy and definitely could be done by stock 4x4 or 2wd vehicles.

The main trail up to the fire tower is a normal gravel/dirt road with a few ruts, only rate it a 1. Explored the Ramsey Cr Rd(FS 4355) spur and would rate the majority of the trail a 2, with one obstacle being a 3/4 rating. The spur trail, as shown in the screenshot, is roughly 4 or so miles in. Most of the road is pretty mellow, with 12" or less mud holes, few tight sections with a long drop off. The major obstacle is a mud hole roughly 2-3ft deep taking up the entire width of the trail. No option to avoid it as there is a severe drop off right at the edge of the trail. Trail ends with a large circle area with mud section that you can enjoy or bypass. There is a tighter section of trail (shown in pictures) that continues past the turnaround, walked it a bit but unsure if it continues much farther.

Rainy day. Decided to drive this after I did Horse Cove Gap earlier in the day. The main trail here is pretty straightforward. Even with the mud and a few ruts, I’d only rate the main trail a 1…maaaybe low 2 at times. However, I did take the Upper Briar Creek Spur and had a little more fun. I’d give that a 3. Deeper series of mud puddles, washouts, and some rocky areas navigate. I was nearing the Western End of that spur but I came across at least 8-10 large trees down in series all the way around the bend. Too much for one person to move in a shorter amount of time. Even if I did have a chainsaw. Turned around right before the end. I did come across a stuck or broke down vehicle. No one was around for me to offer any help to. I want to go back and explore the Eastern end of the spur. Looks like about 1.8 more mile of trail I didn’t see today.

Trail is back open again!!

Gate is locked all gates locked..

The entrance gate is closed and locked

Trail was wet and muddy, especially towards the top. Was easily able to make it in and out in 2WD in but having 4x4 with a little ground clearance would be recommended.

Got here , and all the others close by are closed. Not sure why , all gates are shut