Front Range Range · Colorado 13er · No. 257 of the 13ers
Airplane Gully from Long Lake
Navajo Peak, 13,419'
Class 3, with Class 4 on some variations
Navajo Peak ranges from Class 3 to Class 5 depending on the line. The standard way is a loose gully and a Class 3 summit scramble. The traverse from Apache adds a Class 4 downclimb and a narrow chimney with Class 4 moves. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip9.9 mi
Elevation gain3,215'
TrailheadLong Lake (Brainard Lake)
Trailhead elevation10,535'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,419'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
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Day three
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Afternoon storm risk is the line that matters. Everything else is comfort. In summer, plan to be off the ridge before the build-up starts, not as it starts. Forecast for the summit point, adjusted for its elevation · data from Open-Meteo.
Colorado 13er · Airplane Gully from Long Lake
Overview
Navajo Peak's rocky summit block is a landmark of the Indian Peaks. The standard route follows the Long Lake and Isabelle Glacier trails into the basin below the peak, climbs Airplane Gully (named for the wreckage of a C-47 that crashed there in 1948) to Niwot Ridge, and scrambles west to the top.
The gully is loose rock; the finish through the summit cliff band is Class 3 by a chimney on the north side or a broken chimney on the southeast side. Many people traverse from Apache instead, which involves a Class 3 ridge, a Class 4 downclimb and a narrow chimney where rockfall has nowhere to go.
The round trip is about 9.9 miles with 3,215 feet of gain.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the top of Airplane Gully by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The loose gully and the Class 3 chimney through the summit cliff band.
Route-finding
Moderate. From the 12,100-foot basin, Airplane Gully is the left of the two couloirs facing you. It forks halfway up; either fork works.
On the Peak to Peak Highway (Colorado 72), turn west onto the Brainard Lake road a little north of the Ward turnoff. It climbs switchbacks to a large new parking area and then the fee station; in summer you may need a timed-entry reservation, so check ahead. A shuttle also runs up the valley.
About two miles on, at Brainard Lake's west end, the road bridges South St. Vrain Creek and splits. Two left turns bring you to the Long Lake lot. It fills first on summer weekends; arrive early.
No camping is allowed past the fee station except at Pawnee Campground, which takes reservations months ahead. Camp Dick (north on 72) and Rainbow Lakes (south on 72) are other Forest Service campgrounds. Backcountry camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness needs a permit.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeTundraScramblingExposed to lightning
The line is elevation, the band underneath is the ground, and the numbered dots match the steps below. Mileage and elevations are approximate.
1
Long Lake trailhead 10,535' · 0 mi
Walk the good trail through forest past the Long Lake outlet.
2
Isabelle Glacier junction 10,600' · 1.2 mi
Follow the north shore, away from the lake, for about a mile. Stay left for the trail marked Isabelle Glacier.
3
Lake Isabelle 10,870' · 2.2 mi
The trail steepens before the lake, then follows its north shore through willows and rubble.
4
Upper basins 11,300' · 2.8 mi
Climb switchbacks beside a cascading stream into the next basin. The trail crosses the stream and gets vague for a bit.
5
Lake below Shoshone 11,700' · 3.4 mi
Climb to a basin with a small lake below Shoshone Peak. It is mostly rock from here, and snow early in summer.
6
Upper basin 12,100' · 3.8 mi
Continue west-southwest, off trail or on faint climber paths, to a boulder-filled basin at the foot of Apache and Navajo.
7
Airplane Gully 12,900' · 4.5 mi
Go up the talus cone and into the left-hand gully, which is full of loose stones, past pieces of old aircraft wreckage, to Niwot Ridge.
Watch for: Loose rock. Helmets.
8
Summit 13,419' · 4.95 mi
Head west along the ridge on broken rock and ledges. Get through the summit cliff band by the chimney on the north side, which comes out near the top, or the broken chimney on the southeast side.
Watch for: Class 3.
Getting down
Reverse the route and go back down Airplane Gully. From Apache, the ridge traverse downclimbs a Class 3 crest to the saddle by Dicker's Peck (the last 15 to 20 feet are Class 4), then a ramp and the West Chimney, about 100 feet of Class 3 with two Class 4 moves; many people want a rope to go down it.
If things go wrong
Below Airplane Gully, the basin leads back to the trail.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past Lake Isabelle the route is off trail. A flyover only works when there is a set trail to trace. Without one, the line would be a guess, and a guess could send you the wrong way on the mountain. Use the step-by-step route with a good map and GPS track instead.
See the trail on video
No video yet
We haven’t found a good video of this route that matches the way we describe it. The route strip, junctions and 3D flyover show the way in the meantime.
Other routes
Every way up Navajo Peak we list, with its class.
Navajo North Approach from Apachethis routeClass 4 9.9 mi
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Most 13ers see few people, so there may be no one along behind you. Check recent conditions the week you go, carry a map, tell someone your plan, and turn around when the day tells you to.