Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. 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. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. The weather was cloudy and more scattered rain throughout the rest of the day. 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. There were tons of mines dotting the mountainside, some of which looked pretty difficult to get to. As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. Awesome, thanks! Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. 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. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. It took us 7 days to complete it. Eolus. What a morale booster it was. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. 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. This was after 10 minutes of having rocks thrown at them. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. Down to Eldorado. 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. They can be a lifesaver on a long hike. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. El mejor momento para visitar esta . Top things to do in Durango, Colorado - Uncover Colorado . There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. Dogs are also able to. In fact, there wasnt a single cloud in sight now, just a beautiful deep blue sky in all directions. All of our gear was dry and life was good. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. Preparing for Elk Park to Needleton Loop - Champagne Tastes Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad: Back Packing Train . The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. The Durango-Silverton train offers a backpacker service from May to October, where they drop you off and pick you up at train stops which more or less correspond to the trailheads. Share Followers 0. Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. Have a good hike! Recommended Posts. Basin and Range Trail (2020) 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. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. Although it was monsoon season during our trip, we were told that the coal cinders often start forest fires. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. 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. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. You could see burnt trees the entire train ride, so I guess its a pretty real threat. Still, there were several more people that were waiting by the train tracks and elsewhere. Its easy to explore the Colorado wilderness from the Durango train. 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. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. There were no other campsites nearby and extremely close to the trail leading up to the three 14ers in Chicago Basin: Windom Peak, Sunlight Peak, and Mt. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). Your email address will not be published. Most were quick to check out the shack as we did, so the cinder block and wood plank benches filled up fast. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. After realizing that, I looked around and could see where the trail picked up again, and started hiking directly towards the trail in the distance. 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. Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. Thankfully, we never needed to press the SOS button, but I was thrilled with the functionality of the map and messaging features. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. I didnt rain much though. Thats how I do it these days. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. Lots of flowers, waterfalls, and views. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. Also, if youre looking for a GPX file, you can download that here http://metalbackpacker.com/gpx-files/. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Hello, solitude. I love being above the treeline, and I was excited to hike today. Looking back up the way I just came down from Windom Peak. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. Purgetory was the popular trailhead of choice for non-train riders. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. Down from the pass, we still had a good 10 miles to cover today. The low clouds were back, engulfing Mount Kennedy southwest of us. There was a new amazing view after every turn. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. Very good tip report. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Thanks for the great report! There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. This was a pizza by the slice kind of place, and the slices were enormous! I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. 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. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. There were no beavers. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. Miles Hiked 5.4 Twin Lakes, still waiting for early morning light to hit tis waters. After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. Bob Marshall. After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. We saw deers, elk, mountain goat, beavers. Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. The Weminuche Loop is a classic 40-50 mile horseshoe hike that starts at Elk Park and ends at Needleton. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. Miles Hiked 5.4 I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. Great hike! After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. My GPS said we did 16 miles today, including going up Hunchback Pass, but later when I reviewed the data for this trip it calculated the day at 14.5 miles. Parking in Durango is $8 per day for cars and $10 per day for RVs. After going up a series of switchbacks, I had reached the Twin Lakes by around 7:15. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. 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. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. 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. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. As of the 2013 season, a round-trip ticket is $90.10 + $10.00 for your pack. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. with an Osprey water bladder. Nine miles long, the route climbs 3,760 feet to the Continental Divide. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. We returned back to the shack for a while, but decided to wait at the track 15 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival. My group did it in 5 days, but I would recommend giving yourself 6 or 7 so you aren't having to push yourself to get to the train on time. Your email address will not be published. There are a lot of trees down throughout the Johnson Creek and Needle Creek drainages - another hiker counted 155 trees across the trail on the way down from Chicago Basin to Needleton, but it looks like the FS is working their way up, clearing from the bottom up. As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. First week of June, the only people out there will probably be CDT thru hikers, and theyll be up against a lot of snow still. Miles Hiked 5.7 (summit Windom Peak starting from camp in Chicago Basin) Back, finally! Thanks for sharing this one. Thats for water drainage, and maybe goats. I laughed and told him how I lost the trail before it headed up. A few years ago, I was looking at hiking an alpine route (Pecos Wilderness in northern NM, and Rocky Mountain National Park) during the same time frame as you. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. TR: Elk Park/Needleton Loop with extras - WhiteBlaze You take a train from Durango that. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. Black flies were a pain the whole week. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). We passed several waterfalls and areas of whitewater. Closing loop Needleton - Elk park - Durango Forum - Tripadvisor Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? Definitely recommend to bring waterproofs shoes and pants to be comfortable. They didnt seem afraid of humans at all. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Soon enough it was back to the rain. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. Continental Divide Trail (2018), "His breathing is measured as he narrates his journey, describing the personal allure of the great outdoors, the difference between mere hobby and real passion. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. Completed this loop early July 2021. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. It was a dream and once in a lifetime trip! I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. I figured the total mileage for today would be about 14 miles, but everything after mile 4 or so would be downhill. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. Prepare to not have a cell signal. This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. This was perfect! He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. Absolutely stunning! This route includes 3 trails. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. 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. Bugs were pretty bad this year. 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. Molas Lake to Animas River via Molas Trail, Vestal Basin via Colorado and Elk Creek Trail, Stony Pass, ATV Trail 821, and Cinnamon Pass OHV Route. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! I saw maybe 10 people on day 5, and probably about 60 on day 6. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Hey Trey, Its been many years since I did this hike so pardon my memory here. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. Small amounts of debris from avalanche on the Needles creek trail but easy to navigate. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. 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. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. He sure did look delicious, haha. Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. 18-21 September 2017. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. After about 20 minutes of hiking, I ran into my first mountain goats of the day. Highly recommend. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. Any and all kinds of weather! Thanks for sharing. Wilderness Access Train Rides - Durango.com San Juan National Forest - Elk Creek Trail/ Colorado Trail (503) I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. You can board the train for wilderness access in Durango or Silverton. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees.
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