[mbravenboer]

From previous years, the Navaho Pass trail reports now and then feature great wildflower photos from May, but it looks like it's a bit too early this year to enjoy the show fully. There are lots and lots of glacier lillies, but the wildflowers that pace themselves a bit better are not yet out, except some at lower altitudes. Lupine hasn't made it yet beyond ~3000ft. Spotty snow started at roughly 4200ft. The snow stays spotty for a long time, and does not become continuous until ~5500ft. The snow pack is pretty dense already, so we did not use our snowshoes. We also did not need traction. The trail is generally not very steep, and where it is steep, the snow is mostly gone. We lost the trail a few times in the early partial snow cover. Water is running down the mountains everywhere, and because the forest is pretty open it is difficult to figure out where the trail exactly is. The various maps (USGS, Green Trails, OpenStreetmap) also show the trail in various places, and none of them seems very accurate. In any case, loosing the trail is no big deal here due to the easy terrain. The cross of the east fork of the Stafford Creek at the end of the valley was a bit tricky, and resulted in a wet foot for me. On the road back we put a bit more avalanche debris in the creek. One thing that confused me is that once you get to the pass, Stuart, Adam and Rainier are nowhere to be seen (as opposed to what the guidebook claims). You need to climb towards the Navaho Peak for about 400ft more before you get a good view of those.

Avalanche Power

Stafford Creek split at the end of the valley floor

Flowers:

Anemone

Trillium

Trillium

Fairyslipper (?) to Navaho Pass

Glacier Lilly with a butterfly

Paintbrush

Views from ~6400ft

View of Mount Adams from Navaho Pass

Mt Stuart from Navaho Pass

View from Navaho Pass from roughly ~6400ft: Mt Stuart, Sherpa Peak, Argonaut Peak

Little Annapurna

Navaho Pass:

View of Navaho Pass

Navaho Pass tree

Panorama south west:

Earl Peak from Navaho Pass

Panorama of Enchantment peaks from the pass:

Panorama of the Enchantment Peaks

Album on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bravenboer/sets/72157644882306053/

[olderthanIusedtobe]

I was up there on Thursday. I also lost the trail several times and abandoned it all together as I neared the pass.

[tigermn]

Was anybody going up to the peak? Any tracks? Yea a bit early for the snow to be melted out for sure.

[mbravenboer]

@tigermn Yes, at the pass we ran into a couple that was going to the peak. It looked pretty doable: the snow was nicely consolidated higher up as well (like us, they did carry snowshoes). On the road back we also ran into a group of four (after the Stafford Creek crossing). It looked like they were planning an overnight stay, so I guess they would also go to the peak. There were now and then faint tracks ahead of us in the snow, but difficult to guess how old they were due to the quick ongoing melting (perhaps they were just from olderthanIusedtobe).

[olderthanIusedtobe]

I would guess the snow cover is patchy between the pass and the peak. Looked to be quite a bit of bare ground. I climbed Miller Peak the next day after going to Navaho Pass and got a view back in that direction.

[tigermn]

[RichardJ]

My daughter and I did our first hike to Navaho the week before on the 17th and hammocked over the snow below the peak. I was amazed at the scattered patches of Yellow Bells on the way up. We will be back in June for at least two nights to really do it right. What a great early season hike.

Yellow Bells on Navaho

[mbravenboer]

@RichardJ indeed, the Yellow Bells were wonderful! @tigermn Here is the crossing that I was referring to. I don't expect people who regularly do early season hikes will have a problem with it though, so don't let it stop you . And, there is enough material around to build more of a bridge if needed (an avalanche took down some trees in the area).