1.) Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Area between Fairplay and Buena Vista. Take a part or all of the Rich Creek-Rough and Tumbling Creek loop trail.

Elevation: 9,200 feet to 13,326 feet, the summit of West Buffalo PeakGetting there: Take U.S. Highway 24 west, head north on U.S. Highway 285. For the quickest access to Buffalo Meadows and the peaks, turn left on Forest Service Road 431, Buffalo Peaks Road, and drive eight miles. For the Weston Pass Campground, where most people begin the wilderness loop trail, stay on 285 and turn left on Weston Pass Road. Access from the west side of the wilderness requires four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicles.Camping: Free car camping is available along Buffalo Peaks Road. For more facilities, but a nightly fee, try Weston Pass Campground on the edge of the wilderness on Weston Pass Road or Buffalo Springs Campground on Buffalo Peaks Road.No permit is needed for backcountry camping. The best spots, with established fire rings, are in trees around Buffalo Meadows.Special considerations: Standard wilderness rules apply: no bikes or motorized vehicles, and groups are limited to 25 people and stock animals.

2.) Putney Gulch-Horsethief Falls section of the Ring the Peak Trail. This section of the trail starts near the Crags and ends at the Horsethief Park trailhead on Colorado 67.

Getting there:To start near the Crags, take U.S. 24 west to Divide; turn left on Colorado 67 and drive past Mueller State Park. Watch for sign for Crags Campground and turn left. Follow road past Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp and the Crags Campground. Don’t turn into the campground; instead, continue on this road until it ends.

To start at Horsethief Park, take U.S. 24 west to Divide; turn left on Colorado 67 and drive to trailhead parking, just past the closed Little Ike Tunnel.

Open to nonmotorized use including horses; dogs are allowed. Not handicapped accessible.

Trip Log: About five miles one way; 500-foot elevation gain.

Highway 67 to Cripple Creek in 2008 Photo by Deb Acord