Standup Creek

The lesser known creek between Bean and Stafford, Standup offers a gentle valley followed by steepness to an open hillside and ridge with views.

The first mile or so of the trail follows an abandoned road but feels like a wide trail most of the time. The next mile crosses Standup Creek several times, staying in the brushy valley. You gain only 1000 feet over the first couple of miles, which makes it a pleasant jaunt despite the trail being overgrown.

Where the creek curves around a rocky ridgeline, you switchback for a half mile to gain the ridge offering impressive views of the valley.

Although the climb is mostly exposed, the next half mile up and along the ridge is shaded by majestic firs. Then you cross the creek again and switchback up the open valley to intersect with the Bean Creek trail heading to the left. Alternately, you can hike a further 2.1 miles to a junction with the Stafford Creek Trail, which reaches Navaho Pass in 1.7 miles.

Pleasant views abound. You go right to cross the creek a final time and enter the trees for a final steep half mile to the ridge overlooking Stafford Creek.

Stop here to admire partial views of the Stuart Range, Earl Peak, Navaho Peak, and Mount Rainier and Mount Adams if it's particularly clear. From here, you can also drop into Stafford Creek if you wish to make a long loop. However, this does involve a mile and a half road walk.