How do I prevent my stairwell gutter from clogging?

I have a walk up basement with a gutter in the stairwell just outside my basement door. The gutter works great except that we have several trees whose leaves clog the gutter during spring and fall which causes the water to rise in the stairwell, enter my door and flood my basement. I have considered 2 options a) use one of the elevated gutter guards and b) cover the walkup/stairwell (about 8 steps) with a plastic/fibreglass awning or enclosure to prevent any leaves or water collecting in the stairwell thereby preventing the leaves from reaching the stairwell. BTW, I dont think option a) will work, but am open to any suggestions