Genesee Park and Buffalo Herd Nature Preserve

A part of me didn’t want to rate this because more people would find it! And who doesn’t love the idea of having your own private buffalo herd, with a quiet dirt road leading to a huge park on top of a mountain?
We found this place by accident. After stopping by the Lodge, we decided to continue down a side road to see if we could find some good views for the picnic lunch we brought. As it turned into a dirt road we saw what we thought was someone’s farmhouse and suddenly, a great herd of buffalo all along a metal fence! A large gate with a giant metal buffalo outline and signs explained this was a protected herd. They were gorgeous up close and it was amazing to have them all to ourselves. I guess I never understood the whole «Buffalo Herd Overlook» because every time we tried to go, there were never any buffalo. Now I know, sometimes they hide in the back. :)
Up, up the winding road we continued to follow the metal fence, to more dirt road (some areas rocky or muddy, depending on the season), past lots of trees and gorgeous views… And at the top we found this random park. The grass is so green in the summer with clusters of purple wildflowers and some wild grasses. There’s a baseball diamond. And nice plops of elk and deer poop, so mind your steps. There’s a bathroom here, roomy parking lot and picnic tables and grills. And best of all, lots of quiet areas widespread enough to have a little slice of the mountain all to yourself.
It’s about 10−15mins (depending how quick you can drive) from I-​70 and completely worth it.