Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? This time wasn't as bad as 1993, where my ancient A-frame tent blew down, but I'd suggest doing it in August for longer days and less rain. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. I did put a knee brace on, both knees, for the first time ever. We had a lot of rain, starting everyday around 1 pm and lasting for a couple of hours. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. With about five minutes to go before arriving at Elk Park, one of conductors gather all of the backpackers and ask you to head to the front of the train. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. I had also been considering a climb up Sunlight Peak as well, but it was so nice up here on Windom Peak that I decided to relax, and just enjoy the beautiful view. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Sometimes 2 to a flower. As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. Looking up, it looked very easy and straight forward. You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. Once I gained a few hundred feet in elevation, I could see that there wasnt any threat of getting soaked and I took off the extra layers. They were just ahead of me on the trail, but again, I was able to scare them off by simply throwing my arms in the air. It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. What a place for a cabin though! Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Youre hiking at high elevation in a very sunny spot, so protecting your eyes is important. Prepare to not have a cell signal. Carrying a backpack downhill has wreaked havoc on my knees on my last few hikes, but I was spared this time. Todays hike will take us the rest of the way up the Elk Creek drainage along the Colorado trail, where well hit the Continental Divide Trail, or CDT. Success! Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. Hey Trey, Its been many years since I did this hike so pardon my memory here. I put my poles away now as I found it necessary to use my hands a little here and there going up some of the boulders. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. Other hikers trickled in to the area as time went on. Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map, Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove, Sea to Summit Thermolite sleeping bag liners, Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop (Silverton, CO), Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents, Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. After climbing about a third of the way up to the CDT, I hit a switchback, which I gladly used the rest of the way up. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. It was the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. I highly recommend it. . Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. Dogs are also able to. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? Columbine Lake Trail #509 in San Juan National Forest is a difficult and steep trail with 16 discernible switchbacks but it's worth the effort. This seemed pretty pointless though, because we just stood around until about 7:50. Would you advise camping at Twin Lakes? False alarm. But, thats another story for another trip report. The weather was cloudy and more scattered rain throughout the rest of the day. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Moderate 4.6 (42) Weminuche Wilderness Photos (363) Directions Print/PDF map Length 37.5 miElevation gain 8,579 ftRoute type Point to point Head out on this 37.5-mile point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. San Juan National Forest. As of the 2013 season, a round-trip ticket is $90.10 + $10.00 for your pack. Heres my caltopo map of the Elk Park/Needleton hike: There are no fees or permits needed to hike or camp in the Weminuche Wilderness. You take a train from Durango that. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. This hike primary route. I used to do that, but it gets expensive to print out those big maps all the time, especially for places I likely wont return to for years. This satellite powered device is able to track your location on a digital map, share your location with friends/family, send basic text messages, and (most importantly) it has an emergency SOS button to get help. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. The skies were fairly clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning, but Ive grown weary of the weather in the Weminuche Wilderness at this point. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. So much for being packed. Any way to access this trail without riding the train? The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. They ran downhill and out of sight, and I kept moving. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. We snacked on sour patch kids by the fire for a while before letting it burn out. There was an insane amount of biting flies and mosquitoes by the river here though, and I was regretting my decision to leave the bug spray and mosquito head net behind. Finally, the weather is cooperating! Ill send this to your email as well. Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. Keep a close eye on your belongings: these feisty critters can chew threw packs quickly. At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. We ended up finishing around 5pm on the 5th day, so instead of waiting around for the return train to Durango on day 6, we took the train to Silverton for lunch, then rode the whole return trip to Durango. Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. Swampy, muddy areas where your foot sinks ankle deep in mud are also likely, as well as multiple creek crossings. Vallecito Basin, which lies below Columbine pass, was pretty nice. Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. I'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. They must not have found much in this one and abandoned it. Complete Camper Van Build Parts & Materials Spreadsheet, Zion National Park Hiking Angels Landing & The Narrows, CDT Section Hike 2021 Never Summer Wilderness & Parkview Mountain, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 9: Quartzsite to Kofa, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 8: Bouse to Quartzsite, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 7: Lake Havasu to Bouse, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 6: Bullhead City to Lake Havasu, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 5: Searchlight to Bullhead City, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 4: Boulder City to Searchlight, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 3: Callville Bay to Boulder City, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 2: Echo Bay to Callville Bay, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail, Location Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest, CO, Park Type National Forest, Wilderness Area, Trail Type Semi loop Train drops you off and picks you up, Fires Allowed Yes (No fires in Chicago Basin or Needleton drainage). The people were yelling at them and throwing rocks to try and scare them away, but the goats were pretty stubborn. Miles Hiked 5.4 Seeking Lost: Thru-Hiking & Backpacking Adventures, Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 8 Day Rockhounding & Mineral Collecting in the Santa Teresa Mountains, AZ (Nov 2022), How Much Did It Cost?? We camped at ~9300 ft. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. The Durango-Silverton railroad heading north to Elk Park. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. More mountain goats as I leave the Twins Lake area. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. It rained a little very briefly when I got back, then was party sunny the rest of the day with only a few intermittent showers. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? Your email address will not be published. We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. I've begun planning my adventures for this summer, and while there will be a handful of overnighters and long weekends, I've settled on the Elk Park-Needleton Loop for my main trip. He discourses on his own mortality, about getting too old to have such adventures, and striking your own path in life while you still can." Lisa really wanted a fire, and although I knew we could get one going, but I didnt want to go through the effort of gathering wood only to have it rain again . I do regret getting the open-cart seats though, because it was raining and it was not dry inside. Required fields are marked *. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! 2/21/22 12:55pm. The train showed up about 5-10 minutes late, but was a welcome sight nonetheless. Hello, solitude. Obviously I skipped this route on our way up here, opting to go the traditional way up the switchbacks to the CDT, but I was curious if it was doable. Soul Rider. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. As another hiker had told me earlier today, there were a lot of rodent holes in this area, and I could see mice running around everywhere. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). I'll never forget it. Thanks for sharing this one. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. Nice! This entry was posted on August 29, 2013. You ride the Durango/Silverton Steam Train and it drops you off. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. View Profile Next I found myself on the saddle below the approach to Windom Peak. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. It was about 1/3 the size of his sleeping pad, and as far as I know, is the lightest one on the market at 9.1 ounces. Weminuche Wilderness, CO Elk Park/Needleton Loop Hike. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Mojave-Sonoran Trail (2021) Never miss a new post! We also packed an MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove to boil water for all our freeze-dried meals, our hand-pump espresso machine, and a lightweight hatchet multitool to help with campfires. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. If I were to do it again, I wouldve done a few more miles the first day - theres a nice campsite before the first peak. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! Length: 7.9 mi Est. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. The Elk Park to Needleton loop in the Weminuche Wilderness, to be precise. The altitude on this backpacking loop varies from around 8,000 to nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. Past that meadow, the trail begins to climb past the treeline. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. However, after she mentioned it a few times I could tell she really wanted one, so we gathered the driest firewood we could find and used our garbage to start the fire. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. This was perfect! Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Elk Park is a wide spot in the Animas River canyon located at milepost 490.5 on the Silverton Branch of the San Juan Extension. Miles Hiked 7.4 It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Moderate (39) Weminuche Wilderness Photos (318) Directions Print/PDF Map Share Experience this 57.9-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. Have a good hike! On day four, we hiked along the 4wd road to Pole Creek and picked up our ride there. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Great report, how can I get your waypoints? The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. Excellent trip, lots of varied terrain, meadows, forests, small mountain ponds and lakes, avalanche tree slides, large and small rock slides, multiple high passes with great views. Black flies were a pain the whole week. After the train dropped us off at Elk Park, it was pretty quiet. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. This hike is definitely a good one! Wed been in Colorado a week now, doing other cool stuff like the Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Denver & Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park, Telluride, etc. Clearly has not been maintained for a few seasons. Everything was still pretty wet from the rains overnight, and it was cold. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. The free version of caltopo only allows 5 pages max in your pdf, so just break it up into blocks of 5 pages or less and print out the entire map that way. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. The water was deep and fast flowing here. It even had some rails leading in and out of it. We made the decision to cut our trek short. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. Given the popularity of Kite Lake, being right next to a 44 road just outside of the wilderness boundary, I pretty much had my mind set on Eldorado. I knew the vegetation was still wet from last evenings rain, and didnt feel like being soaked to the bone if the trail happens to go through dense foliage. In summer, you may want to bring along a bug net to fit over your hat to protect yourself from mosquitoes, gnats and black flies. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. Bugs were pretty bad this year. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. Straddling sections of the infamous Continental . ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. We didn't. Windward_Coug. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. First, dont forget your sunglasses! With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east from the Highway 550. Soon enough it was back to the rain. Bob Marshall. Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware. I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. We stopped to eat lunch on a talus slope and observed many pikas, no marmots yet though. The pictures dont even come close to being there first hand. I have a trip report on the Mogollon Mountains in the Gila Wilderness, but the popular side is the east side with all the rivers. Soon enough, wed be overtaken by the unavoidable fog. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. I saw maybe 10 people on day 5, and probably about 60 on day 6. For example, early access to youtube videos, stickers, t-shirt, behind the scenes info on my new thru hiking route creations, special thank you card and more! This is when the fog really started growing. Thats why, if you come from a lower elevation like us, I recommend easing yourself into it while youre preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike! We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! There were tons of mines dotting the mountainside, some of which looked pretty difficult to get to. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) Lisa just made it up over the last rocky ridge on the CDT, giving way to views of Eldorado Lake. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. We changed clothes in the car and tried to mask our stench with deodorant and cologne/perfume before setting off into the city in search of food. Completed this loop early July 2021. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. Share Followers 0. Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. We departed about 15 minutes late, and slowly made our way out of Durango. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Very well done! While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. Today we slept in to 6am. Was the extra research and time spent preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton trip worth it? I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. It seems that most people in Chicago Basin came from the Needleton stop, hiked here, and turned around and went back the way they came. About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. I used a Deuter Kids 40 pack (it has an adjustable torso section for short people!) Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association The Animas River. We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. We walked down to Needle Creek and took a side path over to a waterfall, but besides that, we spent the rest of the day relaxing in camp mostly. Hikers can be seen on the Continental Divide Trail, above on the ridgeline, The path up to the CDT is a long, winding series of switchbacks. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. Im assuming forest service will clear this soon. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. What a morale booster it was. While the wilderness area has many access points, one of the best approaches is from the Durango & Silverton railroad stop of Elk Park, just outside of Silverton. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. Down from the pass, we still had a good 10 miles to cover today. One of the biggest drawing points of the Elk Creek trail is the unique opportunity to combine a Wilderness trip with a ride on a steam locomotive. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. Our total distance was about 42 miles. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. Next stop: Wilderness. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. Y0ou could really see just ow red it was with a little sunlight. Tips for Camping With Your Kids in Durango, Colorado. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. Finally, it was time to start this hike. My backpack did get burned by an ember though, so I was a little bummed about that, but it should be something I can patch up.