Navajo Peak

Route: Airplane Gulley
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: Laxer04
Info: Long Lake TH was still closed so we biked from the winter closure TH around 430AM. There is intermittent snow starting right at Long Lake but we were able to summit fairly easily just boot packing the entire way. We brought snowshoes but never used them. There is a good amount of snow holding in the gulley. I opted for crampons/axe but my friend just used micro spikes. You can completely avoid snow on the summit ridge and the summit block/chimney only has one small piece of ice, easily avoidable. The summit register is in good shape, however it needs a new pen/pencil. We descended via Niwot Ridge, which was a pleasant surprise. Really fun route finding and scrambling on mostly solid rock. Snow is mostly all avoidable on Niwot Ridge until you hit tree line above Long Lake. Intermittent soft snow slowed us down a bunch below tree line. It was still a really fun loop, highly recommend. My strava had us at 18 miles 5360 feet of vert 

Route: Pawnee pass, Isabelle glacier, airplane gully
Posted On: 9/29/2023, By: Deniseramirez
Info: Perfect conditions the entire way! Slight wind at 7am then no wind most of the day. Dry through most of airplane gully and then dusting at the top. You do NOT need spikes. Final ascent to Navajo was completely dry. Chimney was fine going up but very scary coming down. Make sure you are a confident climber to do this. Cut over to Isabelle Glacier from the bottom of airplane gully and went down that way to see more of the area. Perfect conditions! Left my binoculars accidentally at the summit! deniseramirez5@gmail.com 

Route: Airplane Gully
Posted On: 9/18/2023, By: ProtonWitch
Info: Route dry until airplane gully. 1/2 inch of snow and some verglas coating the rocks in the gully. The chimney at the top was totally dry though. 

Route: North Face Via Navajo Snowfield
Posted On: 8/13/2023, By: Jhorne6
Info: Was expecting to get a little bit of alpine ice climbing in on Navajo Snowfield. But due to the awesome snow year that we had there is still a decent amount of seasonal snow covering the ice. North face cruxes are totally dry. The 5.2 crux on route, and the 5.4 variation on the summit block are quality pitches. Don't forget about timed entry reservation.  

Route: Traverse from Apache
Posted On: 7/9/2023, By: kyrawhitworth
Info: Coming off Apache was straight forward but we ended up dropping to low too soon to dickers peck and had to reclimb up snow. There are obvious cairns in this section that we missed and should have followed. Went around the left side of dickers peck which held snow. Dry to the base of the chimney which was holding icy snow making it a mixed climb (beyond class 4 with current conditions). Dry from there to the summit. Descended via Airplane Gulley which had a small snow section. Quite the route! 

Route: Traverse from Apache
Posted On: 7/8/2023, By: sarahmariekirk
Info: Climbed Navajo Peak today with Kyra, Ryan and Luis after traversing from Apache (ascended via Queens Way couloir). The initial ridge over to Navajo from Apache is pretty chill, but gets into some class 3 downclimbing over to Navajo, and then the class 4 chimney up Navajo. The chimney was caked in bulletproof ice and snow, and was very spicy. With the current conditions, it is rated as 5.3 WI2. I am pretty short so some of the moves were extremely difficult with all of the ice, and my ice axes had trouble finding purchase. Regardless, we got the climb done successfully and safely, and I am sure it is much easier when dry. Made for a thrilling day, and really well-earned summit. We descended via the Airplane Gully - which luckily was mostly snow-free, although loose. Fantastic day up high. 

Route: Southeast Chimney via Airplane Gully
Posted On: 9/9/2022, By: supranihilest
Info: From Brainard Lake area (whichever trailhead you may park at) take the Pawnee Pass trail to the Isabelle Glacier trail, and when the trail begins climbing steeply northwest leave it and climb up tundra, slabs, and loose rock to the southwest instead. Aim for the obvious gully east of Navajo along the ridge. You may encounter airplane debris at the bottom that will help guide you - the wreckage is from a Douglas DC-3 that crashed in 1948. Ascend the gully, which is steep and very loose but has a semblance of a trail through it, until it splits. Both branches work, I took the right branch intent on climbing Navajo first. The gully tops out on the ridge, then from there it's steep rubble and Class 2+ scrambling up ledges to the summit block. I took an obvious, inset chimney on the southeast side of the block. Sources say this chimney is Class 3, but it felt like it had a touch of Class 4 in the middle to me. The rock is generally solid but make sure not to yard on anything you haven't tested, as there are some large loose/wiggling blocks in there. From the top of the chimney it's a short scramble to the spectacular summit. I descended the same chimney and then climbed to the high point of Niwot Ridge a short distance away. 

Route: Airplane Gully
Posted On: 7/3/2022, By: benmangelsdorf
Info: Brainard Lake area is very, very wet right now. Portions of the trail are underwater, but creative steps will generally get you to the other side mostly dry. There are a few snow fields to cross on the way up to Airplane Gully, but most of them aren't a big deal. There is one above Isabella Lake that is a little sketchy, and some people might want spikes or an ax for that. I brought spikes but did not use them all day. If I were to go again, I would bring an ax just so I could have it for glissading! Airplane Gully and above has no snow, but the gully is VERY chossy right now. I climbed it about 2 years ago and it was sketchy but didn't feel as bad as yesterday. Yesterday I dislodged a massive rock about the size of me and it took me for a ride about 10 feet down the gully, and somehow I was fine. Stick to the cliff on climber's left in the gully and you will be better off than me, I think. The chimney is dry and very fun and felt far less scary than the gully IMO. Similar to the chimney on N Maroon. I logged 17.2 miles and 3600 feet from the winter parking lot (I couldn't get a reservation). I think bringing a bike/hitching a ride to and from the winter lot could be a good strategy. Also, there is a trail that cuts through the forest near the road, but I do not advise taking it. Not only is it longer (I think), but it is incredibly hard to follow and extremely wet and muddy, with some of the mud having the consistency of quicksand. My personal opinion is that suffering through the road is worth it. 

Route: Airplane Gully
Posted On: 7/2/2020, By: berko89
Info: Mostly summer conditions. I was fine in approach shoes with no traction/ice axe. Past Lake Isabella there is snow covering the trail in some spots which made navigation a bit trickier. Snow was not an issue at all in the airplane gully or while scrambling on the summit pyramid. My opinion: no traction needed but consider bringing an ice axe: would have saved me some of the time spent avoiding snow on the approach & there are some glissade opportunities on the descent. 

Route: via Apache Peak
Posted On: 9/15/2019, By: LetsGoMets
Info: Completely dry on the ridge over to Navajo from Apache. West Chimney is dry and in great shape. Airplane Gully mostly dry (some avoidable ice in the shade). 

Route: Up Airplane Gully/Down Niwot Ridge
Posted On: 8/28/2019, By: kingshimmers
Info: Route up is completely dry, save for a few steps over a stable snowfield right where the Isabelle Glacier trail breaks off to the northwest. Didn't pass directly by the Navajo snowfield, but pictures show conditions at a distance. 

Route: Navajo Snowfield
Posted On: 7/15/2019, By: LSUExplorer03
Info: Still a lot of snow in the Navajo basin, starting around Lake Isabelle. After the unnamed tarn around 11,500' there is a steep headwall which we were able to climb without crampons, but an ice axe was nice to have (it is 100% snow-filled). Then there is some talus above this headwall before you arrive at the final steep slope at the head of the basin directly below Navajo Peak. Due to all the lingering snow this season, the Navajo snowfield extends way down to just under 12,200'. There is plenty of dry ground at the Navajo/Apache saddle at the base of Dicker's Peck, but there is still a lot of snow between Dicker's Peck and the start of the ramp leading up to the West Chimney. The West Chimney is clear of snow. Also, the North Face of Navajo looked to be completely clear of snow. Above the West Chimney to the summit was completely clear of snow as well. On the descent, there is still a small snowfield down the Southeast side of Navajo that can be easily avoided. Airplane gully still has 2 good-sized snowfields in it, but we were able to avoid both by sticking to the sides of the gully. With crampons and an axe, we had amazing conditions! 

Route: Airplane Gully
Posted On: 12/11/2017, By: Buddyboy27
Info: Parked at the Brainard Lake Winter Lot (road closed) and was able to ride the bicycle ~3 miles to Long Lake Trailhead. Skinned from Long Lake Trailhead all the way until the first headwall with only one short section with rock exposure. Navigation is required to pick the best/skin-able route once you get to the South Saint Vrain pool. Headwall and Navajo glacier are skiable without worry of sharks in the bulk of the route. Pay attention near the top and bottoms of headwalls though. Witnessed wet loose avalanches on the southeast facing slopes. Navajo Glacier sees maybe a couple hours of sun all day right now. 

Route: Airplane Gully
Posted On: 10/2/2017, By: kayleenann8
Info: Trail is dry and muddy to the lake at Isabelle Glacier. Intermittent snow starting there. Once at the scree field that leads to the Airplane Gully, we were in snow up to our ankles, sometimes the knees. The gully had enough snow to kick steps in and the ridge to the summit had snow (still were able to do the class 4 chimney though). Decent glissade down! 

Route: Niwot Ridge / Airplane Gully
Posted On: 7/11/2017, By: cloudkicker
Info: We ascended Niwot Ridge and descended Airplane Gully. Leading up to treeline there were a few thinning snow patches that were very easy to avoid. Above treeline and on the ridge, the route was entirely dry. We stayed ridge proper to spice things up a little bit. The route was dry all the way to the Navajo summit! Midway down airplane gully the route had a little bit of iced over snow remaining. We took great care and bypassed it on its west side. Note: airplane gully is INCREDIBLY loose, probably the loosest route I've ever encountered. I slipped and fell a few feet coming down the gully. Luckily, the only injury I sustained was a little bit of bleeding on my left forearm. Still some snow between the base of Airplane Gully and Lake Isabelle. Made for a few short (fun) glissades... but if your route ascends this way be prepared for a snow slog leading to a loose and dangerous scree slog.