If you’re looking for a solid workout with epic views and cool water at the end, check out the trail to Navajo Lake in the Lizard Head Wilderness Area.
The approximate five-mile hike to the lake is a real thigh burner with a steady uphill grade that keeps getting steeper and steeper to the point you don’t feel the pain anymore.
The exercise Zen is short-lived, however, and the lactic-acid agony returns as the trail switchbacks up a near vertical slope to a ridgeline at 11,400 feet.
Once on the ridge, the trail intersects with the Woods Lake trail and then drops for three-quarters of a mile into Navajo Lake basin.
The San Miguel Range of the San Juan Mountains is the featured attraction. Rugged Gladstone Peak looks ominous against a background of stormy skies. And El Diente (“The Tooth”) is a stout fourteener accessible from the lake. The North Buttress is a classic route up this imposing peak over solid rock. The hand-over-foot rock-climbing and challenging route-finding make it a superb mountaineering experience. (P.S. It’s not for the faint-hearted)
It always seems to rain at Navajo Lake, and like clockwork it poured and suddenly got refreshingly frigid. Hit this trail early, as afternoon rainstorms complete with hail and lightning can become a serious situation fast.
The wildflowers are bursting right now along this trail. Yellow avens, columbines, red clover and the iridescent purple of the delphinium, or “dolphin” flower, blanket the meadows. This trail would make a great overnight backpack trip as there are very nice camping sites on the lake and along Navajo Creek near a series of waterfalls.
What struck me about this trail is that it transports you quickly to a high alpine lake deep in the remote backcountry with no route finding at all. Just one foot in front of the other, breathe, and don’t get tired!
Navajo Lake is within the Lizard Head Wilderness Area, designated in 1980.
To get there from Cortez, drive north on Highway 145 through Dolores and onward through the Dolores Valley. Turn left on the Westfork Road (FR 535) and drive 23 miles of winding paved, then dirt, road to Dunton, a private hot springs resort with a quirky collection of pioneer cabins alongside magnificent lodges.
From Dunton, stay on the same road for 2.5 miles to Burro Bridge crossing the West Dolores River. The road then switchbacks north and arrives at the Navajo Lake trailhead on the left. Any passenger vehicle can make the drive.
The hike is an approximate 10 mile round trip journey, so allow 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
