Stafford Creek Trailhead: Navaho Peak

Backpack

Washington State, Cascades

Date: July 25-26

Weather: mid 60s, overcast

I’d viewed the Navaho and Three Brothers peaks while on a day hike up Ingalls Creek earlier in the Summer.  The first rainy weekend in months on the West Side seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out the area and get a different view of the Enchantments/Stuart Range. 

I thought I was going to be in for a lonely weekend with the pooch.  The WTA site didn’t have very much user feedback on either the Stafford Creek or Navaho Pass trails.  And there was a chance of rain on the East Side.  Evidently cooler weather was attractive; the hordes were out.  The parking lot for the Stafford Creek trail was packed but not to worry, there’s no shortage of “street” parking. 

The plan was to hike Navaho Peak on Saturday and Earl Peak on Sunday so one of  the two lower campsites was my target (there’s a third campsite another mile and a half towards Navaho Peak from the divergent point for those two destinations). 

I came upon the first campsite an hour from the trailhead directly after what appeared to be the carnage of a past massive avalanche.  It’s right on the creek with room for one group, maybe two tents.  But no vacancy on this day. 

On the way up I came across the inhabitants of that previous site coming down from a scouting mission. Their advice: grab the first available spot you see.  The upper area is packed with a youth group of some sort. 

I heeded their words.  The second campsite has lots of great tent space but it’s fairly small.  There was already a group of two tents setup around the main square so my privacy (and their privacy) would be nonexistent but given the options (that or a youth group), I took my chances.

The view from Navaho Pass up to the Peak is stunning even on a mostly overcast day/evening.  The sheer granite fortress walls of the Stuart Range one direction; the Kittitas Valley another direction; and view back towards Cle Elum (and I’m guessing Rainier) the other. 

It’s also gnarly! 1200 feet in what I’m guessing was a little more than a mile.  My stay at the top lasted about 10 seconds.  Sustained winds that must’ve been north of 50 miles an hour.  My fingers were instantly frozen. 

I didn’t end up making it to Earl’s Peak the following day. I forgot both a lighter and striker and my waterproof matches weren’t cooperating with other forms of fire-starting.  I didn’t think my bounty of dried mango and limited amounts of trail mix would sustain another long, steep hike. 

Water

*I use a Steripen

Late July during a year with little snowpack or rain

No shortage of water options just prior to the 3^rd campsite

It’s dry once you hit the moonscape of the glacial moraine and up to Navaho Peak

Campsite Options

Lower Option

Single site, room for one or two tents

Easy water access (right on the creek)

Fire pit with seating

~2.5 miles from trailhead

Middle Option (where I camped)

Single site, room for six or seven tents

Small spring 100 feet away

Fire pit with seating

3.65 miles from trailhead

Upper Option

Multiple sites, some with room for lots of tents, others just a tent or two

Minute or two walk for most of the sites to an accessible area of the creek

~4.5 miles from trailhead

Sports Tracker Stats (GPS for all)

Trailhead to Campsite

3.65 miles

2399 up / 600 down

1:37:05

Campsite to Navaho Peak (and back)

~7 miles

3622 up / 3642 down

3:22:21

Campsite to Trailhead

3.65 miles

450 up / 2183 up

1:13:04

Contact El Duderino at jaipf@hotmail.com.