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.

Navajo Lake Trail in Lizard Head Wilderness

The Navajo Lake Trail is about a 9.6 mile round trip to Navajo Lake on the southwest side of the Lizard Head Wilderness in the San Juan Forest of southwest Colorado.

The trail head is just west of the Meadows area and can be reached from the south along the Dolores River West Fork Road or from the Dunton Road that connects to Highway 145 south of Telluride. The trail head elevation is about 9200 feet and the elevation at Navajo Lake is 11,154 feet.

The Groundhog Trail begins at the same trailhead. You can also hike to this trailhead on the Burro Bridge Trail from the Burro Bridge campground. The Kilpacker Trail joins the Navajo Lake Trail about half way to the lake.

The route is mostly through meadows allowing good views of the nearby peaks. To the left is Dolores Peak at 13,290 feet.

The nearby Kilpacker Trail runs parallel to the Navajo Lake Trail for about 3 miles. The Kilpacker passes through a forested area and has an El Diente Peak side trail option for climber access. The one 14er that is clearly visible along the Navajo Lake trail is El Diente, resembling a large tooth, and topping out at 14,159 feet.

Wilderness areas are more restricted than other parts of National Forests. No mechanical or motorized vehicles allowed. This includes mountain bikes, causing some controversy among bikers. This trail would have been very tough for bikers though. Lizard Head Wilderness includes 11 mountain peaks of the San Juan Mountains higher than 11,000 feet and three are in the elite group known as the Colorado 14ers, higher that 14,000 feet.

The last part of the trail is steep and climbs as high as 11,400 feet. The Navajo Lake is surrounded on three sides by high steep mountains and it catches the snowmelt.

On the west side the overflow from the lake spills out and is the beginning of the West Fork of the Dolores River, eventually joining the main branch about 30 miles downstream. There is a waterfall that looked like it plunged about 40 feet, though I could only see it from a distance.

The Navajo Lake Trail continues past the lake to the Silver Pick Trail Head on the north. Before reaching Navajo Lake there is a trail junction leading to the Woods Lake Trail and the Elk Creek Trail, also to the north.

It took me 3:00 hours to cover the 4.8 miles from the trail head to Navajo Lake. I came back faster than I went up, making it down in 2:15. June is a good time to go up into this area. The snow is mostly melted and the summer thunderstorms haven't started yet. They caution peak baggers to be off the peak by noon, or risk getting hit by a bolt.