Trip Report
Bean Basin & Navaho Pass
The wildflowers are at their peak right now and trail conditions are perfect.
Cheryl Talbert
- Fri, Jul 21, 2017 — Sun, Jul 23, 2017
- Bean Creek Basin
- Backpacking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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Trail conditions were dusty but otherwise excellent. No difficult stream crossings - just a few easy rock-hops. Lots of camps in Bean Basin and below Navaho Pass (but we tried to arrive by before 2PM to grab spots).
We dropped two cars at Stafford Creek TH and piled into two other cars to drive to the Beverly-Bean trailhead. It was a fairly quick walk up to Bean Basin where the wildflowers were incredible and there was only a couple of other visitors, dayhikers, the whole time we were there. We explored up toward Bean Peak in the afternoon. Note that the climb to the top of the peak requires some third-class rock climbing, simple but not everyone's cup of tea. Most of our group got as far as the ridge below the peak and waited there to enjoy the view.
The next morning we completed the traverse across to Navaho camp including a side-trip walk-up to the top of Earl Peak - no rock climbing required here, but some steep scree and dirt trail. Fantastic views! More glorious wildflowers, and lots of water running in Standup Creek and Stafford Creek. We snagged the group camp at Navaho, and there were four other tents by the end of the afternoon. Four of us continued up from camp on a VERY hot walk to the pass and up to the peak for more amazing views.
On Sunday morning we walked out along Stafford Creek.