Buffalo Park — Nate Avery loop

Buffalo Park — Nate Avery loop — detailed guide

Source review: 2026-10-12. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.

Ride the broad loop around Buffalo Park on the flat top of McMillan Mesa in Flagstaff. Plan on approximately 2–2.2 miles for one complete circuit, plus your walked parking approach. The city trail map and directory describe a two-mile loop; its parks page lists 2.2 miles. This guide retains that small source difference instead of presenting a surveyed distance or doubling the loop into a return ride.

Start and route

Use the public Buffalo Park parking area at the end of North Gemini Road, at the park's listed address of 2400 N Gemini Road. The city describes the approach from North Humphreys Street to Forest Avenue, then Gemini Road. This is Buffalo Park parking, separate from the McMillan Mesa Park lot on Ponderosa Parkway.

Walk your bicycle through the parking area to the main park entrance, marked by the bronze buffalo. Consult the city map and entrance signs for Nate Avery Trail. Follow the wide loop around Buffalo Park once, in either permitted direction, returning to the entrance. Walk the parking approach again. Stay on the park's broad loop at junctions; this outing does not include the Arizona Trail through-route, Switzer Canyon descent, Cedar climbs, McMillan Mesa natural-area extensions or exercise-station detours. If the loop identification is unclear or a barrier changes the course, stop and use the entrance map rather than taking an unmarked branch.

The owner map identifies this loop as unpaved FUTS; the city describes unpaved FUTS as hard-packed aggregate. Expect a firm gravel-type shared path in suitable conditions, not asphalt. The city calls the mesa top flat, a qualitative description that does not establish a measured maximum grade, smoothness or accessibility throughout. Its five accessible exercise stations are not certification of the entire trail. Parking and entrance interfaces require care around vehicles; no field inspection of current signs or controls has been made.

Suitability and visit planning

This is an ordinary pedal-bicycle outing. The city's map expressly prohibits e-bikes on Nate Avery Trail in Buffalo Park, despite allowing some e-bike classes elsewhere on FUTS. Yield to walkers and runners, pass slowly, and follow posted pet and trail rules.

Choose daylight and a dry, snow-free visit. The city's visitor information lists dawn-to-dusk access. Winter maintenance and promoted skiing or snowshoeing do not guarantee suitable winter cycling. Ice, soft aggregate, wind and exposed weather can make this otherwise gentle outing unsuitable. Follow any temporary closure or fire order.

The parks department lists a permanent restroom, while visitor information mentions portable restrooms. Availability and seasonal service have not been established; bring drinking water and plan for unavailable facilities. An ordinary parking or trail-entry fee was not expressly confirmed in the reviewed sources. Check current park information and signs rather than assuming a free or paid visit.

Sources and conditions

Checked October 12, 2026 UTC. The current city fire page states Stage 0, while reserving authority to close Buffalo Park and open space. That stage is not an unconditional opening guarantee. The reviewed 2025 asphalt repaving notice did not list Nate Avery and is not a current closure or completion report. September 2026 forest thinning near Lowell Observatory concerns a different area and expressly keeps nearby FUTS trails open. No Buffalo-loop closure was found in the reviewed notices, but the live trail-closure map and on-site condition were not independently cleared. Recheck notices, parking and signs before riding and again before publication.

City FUTS overview · Named trail descriptions · City map and bicycle rules · Map front · Park facilities · Public parking directions · City visitor information · Entrance landmark · Current fire restrictions

Editorial draft complete with these qualifications. Fresh launch checks and integration into Joy Riders USA remain pending. No surveyed parking pin or GPX is supplied.