Round Trip Distance: 2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 8632 - 8713 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Bittle Loop/La Fair
Fee: none
Attractions: Pine/aspen forest, wildlife
The Mud Holes trail is located in the Uncompahgre National Forest near Grand Junction, Colorado. By combining the trail with the Bittle Loop trail and a short section of the Divide Road a nice 2 mile loop of easy hiking can be made. The Mud Holes, Bittle Loop and La Fair trails are 3 easy hikes that are grouped together in close proximity to the Divide Forks Campground.
The trailhead for the Mud Holes trail is located north of the Divide Forks Campground on Forest Road 402 which is also the Divide Road. Measure about 8.5 miles from the northern forest boundary and lookout for the signs for the La Fair and Bittle Loop trails on the east side of the road. If you come to the Uranium Road turnoff then you have gone a little too far.
Follow the Bittle Loop trail away from the parking area along the easy to hike jeep road.
Just under 3/4 of a mile the Mud Holes trail branches off on the right.
The Mud Holes trail travels past a retention pond, whether natural or manmade, that probably gives the trail its name. The wide road makes it easy for two or three people to walk side by side while they hike. As the trail makes its loop it passes between two knob hills making a shortcut across the middle of the Bittle Loop trail.
At 1.36 miles the Mud Holes trail once again connects back with the Bittle Loop.
At almost 1 3/4 miles we are at the point where the Bittle Loop trail meets the Divide Road across the road from the Divide Forks Campground. The campground doesn't quite show up in this picture but it is secluded in the trees off to the right.
It only takes about 4-5 minutes to hike the last quarter mile along the Divide Road.
If you would rather stay off the road you can make your way through the trees fairly easily. There isn't a trail to follow but the brush isn't very thick so you can pick your way through it without too much trouble. Of course, if you are on anything with wheels you will have to stick to the designated route.
As you can see there is a large primitive camping spot near the trailhead. Many campers pull their trailers up to spots like this one on the Uncompahgre for a weekend away from the heat of the valley or maybe during hunting season or to cut some firewood.
