Navajo Lake Loop
This was Day 23 of my Summer 2021 Arizona and Utah Roadtrip
Along the north shore of Navajo LakeI did half of this loop back on Day 19 of this trip when I did the Navajo Peak section of the Virgin River Rim trail. The portion I did was a sublime bit of bliss through apsens and pines so I was looking forward to see what the rest of the loop. The loop can be done be done in either direction but for no particular reason I decided to do it counter clockwise. It is an 11-mile loop from one of the trailheads. It was a 13 mile loop from my campsite.
Navajo Lake Loop; (11 mi, 930'▲▼):
VRTT - Strawberry Peak Section
VRTT - Navajo Peak Section
- Navajo Lake (East): The parking area is just shy of the summit. It is worth the quick stroll up to the summit for some photo ops.
- Navajo Lake (West): This is a dirt pull out area just downhill from the junction with Second Lefthand forest road. This dirt pull area is used by the shuttle companys oftent with a trailer so be mindful to leave some room. There are quite a few spots further downhill on the road as well.
Note on the Lake: The lake was formed by an ancient lava flow that dammed up the eastern end of the valley. The lake is quite shallow being only 25' deep at its seasonal max depth. The main outlets for the lake are a series of sinkholes and porious volcanic soils with the drainage reappearing at Duck Creek Spring and Cascade Falls on far side of Najavo Peak. In the 1930s a dike was built across the lake west of these sinkholes to help maintain the lake water leavels. If you want to check out Cascade falls verifying that there is still water on the east side of the dike or the sinkholes (you can hike out to them) will ensure you have something to see when you get to the falls.
Along the Navajo Lake Loop
What a spot to sit with a snack and contemplate
That which does not suck
I made a pretty leisurely pace along this route with plenty of stops to just take enjoy the amazing alpine scenery. This was my last ride on this vacation as I needed to head back to the world of adulting tomorrow. What I realized while out on this two-wheeled stroll that I had gotten everything out of this trip that I could have wanted and then some more. An amazing trip that was so much greater than the sum of its parts. My legs were drained and my soul was full.
That afternoon I pre-broke down camp and got things prepped at much as possible so I could basically just hitch up the trail and roll early in the morning.
Day 24 - Long Drive Home
I'm pretty tired. Think I'll go home.