The drive up the Teanaway Road and even Stafford Creek Rd is spectacular with the amazing fall colors! Honestly the drive to the TH was better than the hike itself. However I must say when Teanaway Rd turns to dirt, it is literally like the road used to be a former minefield! So many potholes, and some very big ones. Some areas were so bad that the potholes were unavoidable and I had to drive my poor Camry right through them. My car took a beating today. A good sedan like a Camry can make it, but I do not advise any small cars to attempt any hike up the Teanaway Road. The orange larch trees at the pass are past their prime, losing their needles. But there were still a few good ones left. I hiked with a Mountaineers group today. Only saw about half a dozen other people on the trail besides us. So it is a good escape from the Lake Ingalls crowds.

We hiked the Navaho pass trail and added on the last mile to the top of Navaho peak because the views were just too incredible to resist. The larches were a brilliant yellow and all the Stuart range was visible. We calculated a round trip mileage of 13.5 on two different GPS, which is slightly different from the stated mileage for the peak hike. Regardless, it was well worth the effort.

This was an absolutely perfect weekend to do this hike. It was super sunny and dry. No problems on the trail. We passed a few friendly groups on horses, and saw a few other backpackers setting up camp along the trail and on the ridge, but for the most part we were on our own for this one which was perfect! We brought our dog along and I was actually a little nervous about that because some guide books mention that this trail crosses rattlesnake country. We saw no snakes...but it was probably good that I was aware enough to keep an eye out for them. The trail was a steady climb, but nothing tough at all. We crossed plenty of creeks to fill up on water. The views from the pass are killer. We found an amazing camp site down the ridge a little ways and the stars were out in full force. I thought it might get a bit windy being up on the pass, but it was completely calm. All in all, this was one of the best overnight trips I've ever done. It could easily have been done in a day trip too, but watching the sun set and rise over the mountains and sleeping under a starry sky was amazing!

Due to the overcast and cooler temperatures (finally!), I was planning on doing Long's Pass but by the time I was heading up the Teanaway most of the general cloud cover had burned off. I could see no trace of Mount Stuart on the road due to the higher clouds. What's the point of doing a pass that's buried thick in clouds? So I changed my plans to Stafford Creek for a "lower" elevation stint. I've read warnings on other hikes I've been on where the road was called "awful" but could be driven over "carefully" but still beware! These folks have obviously never been on a rough road before. Anyway, the gravel Teanaway road is its usual washerboard pot-holed mess but not as bad as some years. Once on the side road to Stafford it's dirt so no more washerboard but still lots of quite wide (and some fairly deep) pot holes and jutting up rocks in places. Nothing difficult to traverse if you keep things slow. No high clearance needed. The trail is in good condition the whole length with only a few spots of water/mud and blow downs easily negotiated. It does climb quite steadily but without ever being steep. I was noticing the clouds dispersing as I continued up so I kept going even though there was a very nasty (and noisy) thunderstorm over toward Miller Creek/Peak that just never managed to make over into the Stafford basin. This trail does indeed go through quite a variety of terrain. If you want a good sample of Teanaway region in one place, this might be a good experience. We went from standard medium forest through meadows, talus, creeks, cascading falls, rocks, valleys, mountains, you name it. Of particular and a fairly rare experience is the avalanche chute a couple miles or so in. It's so well defined and recent enough that even though I wasn't expecting it and had never been through one like it before I could easily recognize what caused it. The clearly snapped tree trunks (one side) and debris was almost textbook example. It was very fascinating walking right through it. After gaining in elevation and watching the vegetation change I reached the junction to Standup Creek and still the clouds were lifting so I thought maybe we could keep going and see how far we could get before entering a cloud bank. Turns out we made it all the way to the pass with the clouds remaining not far above us. The system to the east that we were just beginning to get a drop or two from (and not a few loud announcements of its presence) was slipping just northwest of us into the Enchantments which we were very happy not to be in at the time. There was another system not far to the west and the lower valley looked like it was getting poured on so it was like were were in this one basin/corridor that was free of the rain. We felt very blessed but not just a little nervous. (And by "we" I mean myself and Pepperpaws, my faithful sidekick.) Another interesting area was this beautiful, round, and flat (about the only level spot on the whole trip!) meadow just below the pass that had a few very nice camps with a babbling stream nearby. Once above this the trail gets a little harder to follow. Shortly it disappears onto a loose rocky field that goes up the pass (not sure the correct geological term for it). And I mean there's no trail. At all. But since we were heading to a pass we just went up it and found the occasional cairn but the field narrowed the higher we went so at the top we found the trail again where it left the field for the final switchbacks to the pass. You could continue up to the top of Navajo Peak if you wanted but given the weather (and my thighs and the time) we decided to just enjoy the pass and ridge it was along. There's a very good unmaintained trail that follows the ridge and ridge tops are always interesting places to explore. The harsh weather up at the top never fails to display unique rock formations and the poor trees and plants trying to eek out their lives there. All in all, a very rewarding trip. We were the only people on the trail both in and out. Lots of squirrels, birds, and other little critters, though. A few blooms at the top area though not for long. A great time dancing between the storms.

Things to consider: 1. There is a toilet facility at the trailhead 2. You will need a Forest Service or Interagency pass(expo-golden age). If you don't have one, a self service $5 fee can be paid at the trailhead 3. As of now, there is still water at the lower end of the wide open area just below Navajo Pass. 4. There are still flowers near the summit-phlox, lupine, paintbrush. 5. The Ingalls Cr drainage is closed for fire control so through hikes to the Ingalls Cr trailhead will have to be postponed. 6. This hike is approximately 14 miles with 4100' of gain, about a quarter of the gain comes during the scramble to the Navajo summit. Directions: Follow the Teanaway Road to the intersection with the Stafford Creek road and turn right onto Stafford Cr rd. Drive past the Standup Cr road which leads off to the left and at about 2 1/2 miles come to the Stafford Cr trailhead. There is parking, and as noted above, restroom facilities. Display your permit and start hiking. In spite of a discouraging weather forecast, three intrepid Cascadians started up trail 1359. At 4.8 miles, come to the intersection with Standup Cr trail 1369. Stay to the right and remain of 1359. Just prior to Navajo Pass the trail transits a fascinating area of open ground. Hike through this and at the upper limits turn to your right to Navajo Pass. Three trails are evident at the pass: 1. 1226.1 which is an unmaintained hikers trail leading Hardscrabble Cr trail 1218. The trail then leads to Fourth Cr and Beverly Cr trails. 2. Cascade Cr trail which heads down to the Ingalls Cr trail. 3. County Line trail 1226. Head east on 1226 for just a few yards then trend left and begin the scramble up the hikers trail to the summit of Navajo Peak. This scramble is worth the effort! Once on the summit, enjoy the spectacular view of the Ingalls Cr dainage, Mt Stuart and the backside of the Enchantments, the Brothers to the east, Earl Pk, Iron Pk, and much much more. We did not encounter another person on this weekday hike and had the view all to ourselves. We spent over half an hour on the summit just enjoying this beautiful area.