First Trip Out Every Year

Buffalo River State Park

Highway 10, Glyndon, Minn.

Note: I need to apologize for not having many photos on this post, I am at Buffalo River so often that it did not occur to me to take photos for the blog.

My first trip out every year is to Buffalo River State Park. This year, it happened to be April 13th. It was a very warm winter, so I got out a little earlier than usual. I have been doing this for many years; in fact, I can't remember when I started this tradition. The excitement is there every year; it is a great time to relax, sort, and enjoy the woods and the spring weather.

As you can imagine, I have a lot of gear. Some of my gear is for car camping, some for backpacking, and some is used seasonally. My first trip out is to make sure everything is in good working order. I would hate to be out on an adventure and discover that my tent was ripped or my Jet Boil did not work correctly. Note: Even if you are at home, check all your gear and set everything up. Otherwise, there could be a failure.

My last fall trip took place very late October at Badlands National Park; the weather was perfect except for the last night when wind gusts got so high I had to abandon my tent. It was completely staked out and tied down because I was camping on a ridge. The winds were so fierce that my poles started to bend, and my seams started to rip, something I had never experienced to that level before. Why do I bring this up? Because I threw everything into my car as quickly as possible when I left, I did not examine what was broken and could be mended. This first trip to Buffalo lets me go through everything, and I will be replacing a few things this year.

Buffalo River State Park is a quick 15-minute drive East of Fargo-Moorhead and a place I frequent every week, hiking the 3-mile loop with my dogs. We are so fortunate to have a State Park located this close to Fargo-Moorhead, and I use this park medicinally.

If I am having a rough day, I will grab my gear and sit in the woods to recoup or hike to clear my mind. There have been days when I am not accomplishing anything at work, so I set up a desk at a picnic table and carry on. The chirping of birds makes for great white noise while I send off emails and write proposals.

Buffalo is the perfect blend of the open prairie and a wooded area following the river. The river loupe takes about an hour, but there are plenty of points to veer off and grab a prairie trail to extend your hike. All the trails are quite easy; elevation gain does not exist here, just a few small hills to get to the south side of the river.

The campground is smaller; one side is dedicated to electric pull-in vehicles, while the tent camping is tucked back along the river. The tent sites are off the water, about 50 yards away, and there are small trails to get you down to this gentle, flowing, shallow river. If I were to suggest a spot for tent camping, it would be the outer spots closest to the river. Note: most of the tent camping sites are on the smaller side, and you are close to your neighbors.

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YOU SHOULD KNOW

Suggested stay length: One to Two days

Campground: Drive-in electric, Drive-in non-electric and Group Camp

Wi-Fi: Yes, it is limited, but it does work.

Wood: For sale at Camp Office.

Pets: Yes, they must be on a leash. If the river is low, there are a few sneak-off points to let your dog swim around the sand bars.

Activities: Swimming Pond (it has been closed for a couple of years, though), hiking, and river fishing; I have never actually seen anyone catch a fish here, as the river level is usually quite low.

Water: Decent, maybe a seven on a scale of 1 to 10. It is very drinkable, especially after a long hike. Small towns are close, so if you are really picky, water is within 5 minutes.

Favorite sites: The sites closest to the river would be my first choice. The rest of the non-electric sites are pretty small, and there are not many of them. The Electric sites seem good sized. Some are more shaded than others. Once again, I would choose the sites closer to the river.

Surrounding Area: Fargo-Moorhead would be the main attraction, with lots to do. You can throw a rock and hit a bar or restaurant. If you want lakes that are not far away,  keep heading east on Highway 10.

Winter: Snow Shoeing

Link to DNR site: Buffalo State Park