Basalt

Best Time to Visit the Basalt Section of the Navajo Lake Loop

No seasonal or weather-specific details are documented for this stretch, so there's no listing-specific guidance here on which months are best to visit.

Check current conditions for the Navajo Lake Loop as a whole before a trip that includes this segment, since specific timing details for the Basalt stretch itself aren't available.

Trail Tips for the Basalt Section of the Navajo Lake Loop

• Treat Basalt as one distinctive stretch of the larger Navajo Lake Loop, not a separate trailhead-to-summit hike — plan around the full loop rather than this section alone.
• Footing through the basalt stretch is uneven rather than smooth, so wear supportive, sturdy footwear before you reach it.
• Mountain bikers should expect the singletrack to turn noticeably technical through this segment rather than smooth riding, not a separate type of trail.
• This section lies within Dixie National Forest, so standard Forest Service rules apply rather than national park regulations — dogs are generally permitted off-leash and dispersed camping is generally allowed in the surrounding forest, though it's worth confirming current Forest Service rules before your trip.

Reaching the Basalt Section of the Navajo Lake Loop

Because Basalt is a stretch within a larger loop rather than a standalone hike, there's no separate trailhead to look for. The way to reach it is to get onto the Navajo Lake Loop itself — on foot or by mountain bike — and continue around to the east side of the lake, where the route crosses the basalt field described above.

No specific trailhead, mile marker, or access road is given in the available information, so treat this as one section to watch for partway around the loop rather than a discrete hike with its own start point.

What to Expect on the Basalt Stretch of the Navajo Lake Loop

"Basalt" isn't a trail in its own right — it's the name given to a lava-field stretch of the Navajo Lake Loop trail system near Duck Creek Village, on the east side of Navajo Lake in Dixie National Forest. The singletrack here crosses a genuine basalt field: jagged black volcanic rock left behind by the forest's long history of lava flows, with a short, technical climb through crushed cinder underfoot rather than smooth tread.

Plan on roughly a quarter-mile of this distinctive terrain within the larger loop, which runs about 11 miles around Navajo Lake. Hikers and mountain bikers both pass through it as one notable segment of that longer route rather than a destination to seek out on its own.