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Navajo Lake Approach
Difficulty Class 1 
Risk FactorsExposure: Low
Rockfall Potential: Low  
Route-Finding: Low  
Commitment: Low  
 
TrailheadNavajo Lake
Start9,350 feet
Stop13,000 feet
Total Gain2,000 - 3,700 feet
RT LengthNavajo Lake: 9.5 miles RT
Upper Navajo Basin: 12 - 14 miles RT
AuthorBillMiddlebrook
Last UpdatedOct 2022
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Trailhead

From Telluride, drive south on Colorado 145 to Lizard Head Pass. Continue south for 5.2 miles and turn right onto Forest Road (FR) 535. Drive 4.1 miles on the 2WD dirt road to a large meadow and junction. Stay straight on 535, pass the Kilpacker trailhead at 5 miles and continue another 2 miles (7 total from CO 145) to reach the Navajo Lake trailhead entrance on the right.

Route

It's just over 4.5 miles to Navajo Lake. From the trailhead ( 1), hike about 0.25 mile and pass the Groundhog trail junction - 2. Stay right and hike through some meadows ( 3) before returning to the trees. At 9,500', cross a bridge that spans West Dolores River and continue up a steep hill - 4. Continue to 9,800' where the trail enters a large meadow ( 5) and continue through trees and more small meadows - 6 and 7. Near 10,700', hike up through a meadow and ascend several switchbacks to reach 11,000' - 8 and 9. Traverse east across the hillside and back into the trees to reach a junction with the Woods Lake trail - 10. Stay right. Navajo Lake is about 0.5 mile from the Woods Lake trail junction. You now have a view of Gladstone Peak (13,913') to the east ( 11) and El Diente Peak towers above to your right. Within 0.25 mile of the lake, campsites start to appear along the right side of the trail. Reach Navajo Lake at approximately 11,160' - 12 and 13.

From the Lake it's about 2 miles to the upper, east end of the basin and the remaining routes to Wilson Peak and Mt. Wilson. For El Diente Peak, it's 1.5 miles to the point where the El Diente route leaves the main Navajo trail. Pass the lake on the left and follow the trail through the bushes - 14. Nearly 0.5 mile east of the lake, leave the bushes and hike onto talus on the north side of the basin - 15 and 16. Continue up the left side of the basin as you approach the top of a headwall - 17. At 11,900' on top of the headwall, the terrain flattens out - 18 and 19.

If you're climbing the North Slopes route on El Diente Peak, your climb of El Diente starts off to the right. If continuing to Wilson Peak or Mt. Wilson, refer to those route descriptions. The Navajo trail continues all the way to 12,300' before turning left and ascending to the Rock of Ages saddle.

Notes

There are several place to camp just below Navajo Lake, 4.5 miles from the trailhead. IMPORTANT: This route enters the Lizard Head Wilderness area. Wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.
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