Bucksnort Saloon

Sphinx Park, Colorado

Field Note

The Bucksnort Saloon is precisely the kind of dive bar to be found some 7,000 feet above sea level, nestled in a small Colorado mountain canyon, perched alongside a narrow road on a hairpin curve. Every possible image conjured by that description plays out perfectly at this dive bar in the hills, a durable institution founded as a mercantile exchange in 1919 and wears every bit of those years on its dollar bill-covered walls.

The journey to the Bucksnort can be an adventurous one, a narrow winding road off of one of Colorado’s mountain highways that becomes so unpredictable in the winter than the Bucksnort typically closes for the month of January and opens only for weekends during the season. But on a spring or summer day, there may be no better drive in this part of Colorado’s mountains, partially because of the scenery surrounding the trip and partially because one of the state’s best dive bars awaits at the end of the road.

The first glimpse of the bar includes a glimpse of its barbecue pit outside, a good omen for the food within and a symbol that this is a community gathering point, not just a quick roadside stop. Elk Creek runs along the backside of the building with sporadic parking next to and across from the Bucksnort. The building feels as if it almost hangs over the water, a small patio outside offering the chance to soak in the tree-dominated Colorado view.

But as with any great dive bar, the real magic is inside and the Bucksnort Saloon delivers, a swinging patio door offering entry to a low-set, log cabin-looking interior dominated by dollar bills that don’t just hang from the ceiling or around the bar but rather paper as much interior space as possible. Bar stools take the form of upright log stumps, the bar lit by wrap around windows looking out onto Elk Creek and its surroundings. A woodfire stove sits in the center of the main room. All of this is to say that the Bucksnort Saloon is every bit the classic Colorado dive bar experience, down to the worn wooden floor and the paper towel rolls stationed at every table.

By all accounts, the food at the Bucksnort is legit, from barbecue coming off the outdoor pit to the Buck Burgers that serve as a menu staple. On this reviewer’s recent visit, there was as much food being consumed as alcohol, which isn’t true of every dive bar to be certain. The vibe was very much “neighborhood watering hole,” a collection of locals, bikers, cyclists on pit stops, families. The space transforms at night as live music regularly crams itself into one corner of the main room and temperatures dip to put a little bit of a chill in the air, even during summer months.

Beer signs dot the space, mixed in with pennants and a handful of vintage photos that hammer home the longevity of not just Bucksnort but places just like it, a Colorado staple. Dollar bills are stuffed into the nostrils of mounted animals in one room because why not. The bar itself is illuminated with a stained glass-style Bucksnort Saloon sign that may not be 1930s-era vintage, but certainly looks it. And there’s a guest book to be signed, and why not. The Bucksnort is an institution and it’s only fitting that those passing through want to leave a piece of themselves behind.

The sum of the parts here is a signature, scenic and arguably iconic Colorado mountain experience that happens to come with affordable domestic beers. Throw some barbecue or burgers on top and it’s easy to see why the Bucksnort Saloon has such a strong pull on those local and those passing by despite its semi-remote location. As cold beer mountain oases go, the Bucksnort Saloon may be Colorado’s finest example.