Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. The weather was cloudy and more scattered rain throughout the rest of the day. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. 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. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. What a place for a cabin though! Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. Trail Name - Elk Park/Needleton Loop Location - Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest, CO Park Type - National Forest, Wilderness Area Fees & Permits - None Length Of Time Hiked - 6 days, 5 nights Trail Type - Semi loop - Train drops you off and picks you up Miles Hiked - 48 Trail Difficulty - 8 All in all, quite a bit of wildlife. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Your email address will not be published. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. This was $90 each person for a round trip ticket, plus $10 to each to haul your backpack. 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. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. A full train schedule is available on the Durango Train website. Straddling sections of the infamous Continental . We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. I was following a GPX track on my GPS of another person who had hiked this loop, and his track led me off trail a little bit. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Great hike! Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. 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. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. Copyright 2015-2023 Champagne TastesAll Rights Reserved. Other hikers trickled in to the area as time went on. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. Trail Name - Elk Park/Needleton Loop Location - Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest, CO Park Type - National Forest, Wilderness Area Fees & Permits - None Length Of Time Hiked - 6 days, 5 nights Trail Type - Semi loop - Train drops you off and picks you up Miles Hiked - 48 Trail Difficulty - 8 There were many campsites to choose from in the area near the Vallecito Creek Bridge. Lisa was out roaming too, watching the many Ptarmigan birds in the area. It also didnt hurt that we pampered ourselves a little afterwards with a leisurely day at Pagosa Springs. I wanted to make it farther though, and we pushed on to about 5.5 miles where we made camp along Elk Creek, elevation ~10,300ft. Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. A group of seven hikers (2 men, 5 women) also loaded their packs, giving a total of 12 of us to be dropped at Elk Park. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? Completed this loop early July 2021. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. 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. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. At columbine Lake, I dont think youd have an issue finding a suitable site. The rain sucked, but it sure did make you appreciate what little sunshine we did get. Twin Lakes, still waiting for early morning light to hit tis waters. Thanks for the great report! The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. 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. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. However, the clouds were building now and threatened to block the sun for the first time today. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. It was filed under Backpacking Trip Reports and was tagged with backpacking trip report, cdt, chicago basin, colorado backpacking, colorado hikes, colorado photography, colorado summer hikes, colorado trail, continental divide, durango train, eldorado lake, elk park needleton, hiking 2013, loop hike, mountain photography, multi day hikes, san juan, san juan mountains, san juan national forest, weeklong loop hike, weminuche wilderness, windom peak. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? I didnt rain much though. Definitely recommend to bring waterproofs shoes and pants to be comfortable. I have done this one twice!! This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. This was perfect! The four debris fields we crossed we scary enough. From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. 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. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. Also, A creek ran through the area and created an interesting looking gorge that I wish I had more time to check out, but we really wanted to get to camp right now. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. They didnt seem to concerned with our presence though. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. Id say we averaged about 4-5 bouts of rain per day. What a morale booster it was. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. is to leave an itinerary with a responsible person back home, as well as a time and date when they should call for help if they dont hear from you. 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. There were cairns here and there marking the way as well, which could be seen since the Twin Lakes. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. Prepare to not have a cell signal. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. Basin and Range Trail (2020) One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. Success! Cachanilla83. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. Share Followers 0. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. We followed Bear Creek down to the Rio Grande by following the 4wd road and used our sat phone to arrange for transportation to Silverton. I got injured jumping off the bridge there, so we couldn't complete the hike north over hunchback pass, and down Elk creekwe were kinda bummed. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! . After a nice relaxing break, we hit the trail again. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. We did not have gloves (other than one pair of fingerless gloves I use when gathering/breaking firewood and climbing), so our hands were getting a little numb. The first morning of a hike always takes the longest to get going. Thanks for sharing. There were a bunch of waterfalls along Needle Creek though. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. 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 particular mine only ran about 30ft or so, and was not that interesting. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. I wasnt sore at all until day 4 or 5, with only moderate soreness in the hamstrings. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. So, they suggested to take train from Needleton to Silverton, wait for 1.5h and then return back to Elk Park for the price of full ticket Durango-Silverton . After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. Hiking through Vallecito Basin on our way up Columbine Pass. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. The water in Elk Creek was super clear, so I didnt have to pre-filter any of it before using my Steri-Pen Opti UV water purifier. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. Avalanche debris was cleared. At 36 miles in length, this trip would likely span four or five days for average hikers, and it offers the unique ability to ride the Durango-Silverton train to access the trail. After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Also, this area of the Weminuche has quite the rodent population. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. Hello, solitude. Try this 60.4-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. Soul Rider. 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! From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? The sun was shining on the Twin Lakes now, and it was beautiful. 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. Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. I like having dry gear! We did this trip in September. You can download the GPX file here: http://metalbackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/gpx/WeminucheRouteHiked.gpx. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Eric Poulin, long distance hiker and outdoor adventurer, Greenland Hike/Packraft Expedition (2022) *Coming Soon Arriving via a coal-powered train on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, this excursion into the dramatic Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado gets off to a unique start. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. Finally below the clouds after descending Hunchback Pass, These deer practically walked right up to us while we ate lunch. If youre doing the whole Elk Park to Needleton loop, take the Durango-Silverton diesel train north from Durango to Elk Park. See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Awesome, thanks! As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. Learn more about the wildlife in the area. Going down always looks much harder! Some of the rocks were covered in ice making them extremely slippery too, so I had to be very careful once I neared the top. When we visited in September, the days were hot and the nights were cold. My wife and I completed this hike in September of 2016 and loved it. When youre leaving from Durango, youll need to have your gear in the boxcar at least 45 minutes before departure. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. Overall a pretty remote and isolated trail with beautiful scenery, clean water everywhere and pristine nature. 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. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. Campsite in Chicago Basin for nights 4 and 5. Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. Oh well. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. After all, it was Saturday evening. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. We made it to Chicago Basin and I made it to the "saddle" of Sunlight peak before talking myself out of going up the rest of the way (regretting it to this day). One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. This hike is definitely a good one! A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). I was . There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. It felt good to be hiking today its amazing what a little sunshine can do. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about . The train ride out of Durango and through the Rockwood Cut was quite enjoyable. At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. We set our packs up on a rock ledge with rain covers on, hoping thats be enough to keep them dry. Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. They ran downhill and out of sight, and I kept moving. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. Highly recommend. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. You take a train from Durango that. You can board the train for wilderness access in Durango or Silverton. It looked like a nice spot, close to the water, but the views werent excellent. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. Today we slept in to 6am. There havent been any bugs out the last 2 nights though, and I was really wishing we had a fire like this on night one. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Trees blocked most of the views. 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. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. There was a lot of toilet paper and poop laying around near some of the campsites though, evidence of heavy usage. We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. I'll never forget it. Debris form 2020 avalanches on the elk park section have been cleared but theres quite a bit of fallen trees blocking the needle creek trail out of the Chicago Basin. Check out this 17.3-mile out-and-back trail near Durango, Colorado. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. (we were going from Needleton to Elk Park). The water was deep and fast flowing here. Miles Hiked 5.7 (summit Windom Peak starting from camp in Chicago Basin) Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. They can be a lifesaver on a long hike. For that reason, a small cart follows the train to check for any fires started by the train alongside the tracks. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. It even had some rails leading in and out of it. Sometimes 2 to a flower. One of the things that makes this loop so special is that the trailheads can both be reached via the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railroad, a tourist train pulled by a steam locomotive that has been used in dozens of . The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. This is when the fog really started growing. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. Browse different rides & seasonal events. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. San Juan National Forest. It is a fairly difficult hike, but not one that isn't doable. My husband had an offline map downloaded in his Google Maps app, although we found it to be unreliable in the Vallecito Creek area. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. The rock is slippery and there is nothing to help you balance yourself on this very narrow section of trail, which happens to have a BIG drop on your left. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. Very good tip report. We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. There were only one or two campsites occupied here, and it would have been a nice place to stay the night if we didnt already have our trip planned out. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. 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Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . They must not have found much in this one and abandoned it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. I asked one of the train workers if we could sit in the covered carts even though we had tickets for the open cart, and he said sure, if theres a seat available. From a distance, I could see faint lines on the hillside that were definitely the switchbacks. The train showed up about 5-10 minutes late, but was a welcome sight nonetheless. 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. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. Anyways, with breakfast in our stomachs and all our wet gear packed away, we hit the trail around 7:30. The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. I used a Garmin InReach Mini 2 to track our location, and any time we came to an unmarked trail junction, we knew which way to go. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. with an Osprey water bladder. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. Miles Hiked 14.5 On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. We passed several waterfalls and areas of whitewater. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Lower elevations and farther south, definitely no snow and the spring melt off is going to be done by then. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. Bugs were pretty bad this year. At the bridge over New York Creek, there was a waterfall right there along the trail.. Animas River, from the bridge at the Needleton train stop. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. Todays hike will take us down by Kite Lake, over Hunchback Pass, and all the way down to the Vallecito Creek bridge, near Johnson Creek.
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