Big Muddy Pond Loop (Long Trail State Forest)

Big Muddy Pond Loop (Long Trail State Forest)

Hike Type: Loop

Distance: 3.62 miles

Elevation: 810 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes moving)

Book Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Parking: Parking for 10-15 cars at trailhead off of VT-118.
Hiking Challenges: Long Trail Side-to-Side; 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

Day two of Labor Day weekend! I was mentally flirting with the idea of hiking Belvidere Mountain via Frank Post and Forester Trails to keep knocking off trails on the Side-to-Side patch, but I just didn't feel like climbing a mountain. Emma and I slowly got up and got some chores done, and then I proposed we check out Big Muddy Pond, still at the same trailhead as Belvidere, which would hit the Babcock Trail and Babcock Extension on the same list - she agreed, and we were off!

We brought her dog, Lola, and were at the trailhead around noon, which was expectedly full (with room for us!). We got suited up, we got Lola suited up, and we gave Lola our drinks to hold, too! We hiked past a couple of thru-hikers eating lunch at the gate, and then hiked past the trail register and onto the Long Trail southbound! Lola was NOT a fan of her paw-protection booties, but she did her best.

We hiked past an old Agency of Environmental Conservation sign stating that the trail was closed to vehicles and then walked gently uphill over some fallen yellow leaves (FALL IS NEAR). We carefully crossed VT-118 and continued on the Long Trail southbound on the other side, riding gently through wonderful fern-filled forests. Lola was having a wonderful time smelling literally everything and trying to nosh on any grass she could find. 

We saw some leaves with a unique squiggly mark on them - we figure either slugs or really really small bugs, and then admired some common jewelweed flowers, which were incredibly unique looking. The hike began to moderate with a few steeper spots that got the two of us sweating (Lola was running laps ahead and behind us, basically). Lola got mad at her booties again, so eventually the back two came off. The trail continued rising to a height of land and the Rittenbush Lookout. The lookout was nice, but pretty grown-in. We could see the landmass on the other side of the pond below, but that was really it. We did love to see the early autumnal reds popping through!

The descent from the lookout was comically steep with many stone stairs - Lola had no problem flying up and down them as Emma and I fought for our lives while carefully stepping on the wet stones. Once further down, the trail rambled around, crossing a few streams (we had to fight Lola from drinking the mostly stale water - she had plenty of her own) and passing a teeny tiny red eft on the way!

Just after the final stream we came to a junction! On the left was an unmarked path to another pond, straight was the Long Trail southbound towards Devil's Gulch, which looked like a fun scrambly section, but not with the dog, and left was the Babcock Trail - our return route! We hopped on the blue-blazed trail and began to moderately climb back up on a very eroded stretch of trail.

We eventually leveled out and passed the first of three(?) beaver dams damming up Big Muddy Pond. The viewpoint began to open up as we began to hear the pitter patter of rain, which turned into a full RAIN. We decided to have our drinks and do some civilized hiking at this point, since it seemed we were just going to be wet. We thanked Lola for carrying our drinks, and comically, Emma's exploded from the josteling. 

The views down to the pond were nice, but there were no really good viewpoints. We could see a couple of loons on the north end of the pond engaging in... something. We saw the big wing flapping thing waterbirds do and then they did some diving too. I wish we were able to get closer! 

The Babcock Trail climbed again and then easily descended past some white baneberries, which look absolutely crazy with their magenta stems and white berries. Emma put Lola back on her leash as we began to hear VT-118 again, and soon we were CAREFULLY crossing again.

The Babcock Extension started straight across the road, but it was pretty overgrown with roadside wildflowers (mostly swamp asters, flat topped white asters, and goldenrods). We pushed through, getting nice a damp after the rain subsided, and then turned to follow a gravel road that we soon joined to follow.

There were a few apple trees above the gravel road that had begun depositing their small apples all over the road. We did NOT stop for a snack, even though Emma offered. The Babcock Extension turned back into the woods and followed a narrow, wet trail with a good amount of bog boards, and one bridge! We gently rose again up to the parking lot, and soon were back and READY to put dry clothes on!

We ended up driving towards Smuggler's Notch and got a late lunch at the Red Fox. Lola was not interested in sitting in the back seat, so she happily inserted herself into my lap for every drive, only slightly tearing up my arms with her claws in the process. We then stopped at the Cambridge Market to stock up for tomorrow - Jay Peak to Canada!

Step-by-Step

- Walk towards the Long Trail from the parking area.

- Turn right onto the Long Trail southbound.

- Carefully cross VT-118, then continue on the Long Trail southbound.

- At jct., turn right onto Babcock Trail.

- At road, carefully cross VT-118, then continue onto Babcock Ext.

- At terminus, return to car.

Map

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