Burro Bridge Trail

The Burro Bridge Trail, constructed in 2005, is 2.7 miles long and connects the Burro Bridge campground with the Groundhog Trail in the southwest side of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. The Burro Bridge area is along the West Fork of the Dolores River, about 2 miles north of the Dunton mining town resort area.

There is a parking area at the trail head a short distance south of the campground. This area can also be accessed from Highway 145 south of Lizard Head Pass, climbing and crossing past the Meadows area and descending down toward the West Fork.

The trail climbs west from the campground with steep switchbacks to the mesa top through mostly Aspen forest with some scattered Engelmann Spruce. At the mesa top the route swings north and there are some open meadow areas. The elevation change is about 900 feet.

There are occasional glimpses of El Diente and the other San Miguel peaks through the thick forest on the climb up. The trail sometimes seems to disappear when crossing the meadows, but there are marker posts at the meadow margins to look for.

The best views are in the area near the trail junction with the Groundhog Trail. El Diente, at 14,159 feet, stands out and the basin north where Navajo Lake sits can be seen clearly. These views of El Diente are at a higher angle than the also good views along the nearby Navajo Lake Trail.

There are also views toward Dolores Peak to the west and the Lizard Head and Sheep Mountain area to the east. It took me 1:45 hours to travel the 2.7 miles to the junction.

I turned east on the Groundhog Trail which descends steeply toward the West Fork Dolores and a junction with the Navajo Lake Trail. This trail segment is about 1 mile. The roar of the stream can be heard before it comes into view. At the trail junction there is a foot bridge to cross the stream. This junction is only a short distance from the Navajo Lake trail head.

From the Navajo Lake trail head it is about 1.5 miles on the West Fork Road back to the Burro Bridge campground to complete a loop. This segment actually crosses the Burro Bridge and allows a close look at the roaring stream. My total hike took 3:30 hours for about 5.5 miles. I drank 2 liters of water on a 65 F degree mid June day.