We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton - Colorado | AllTrails Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. Elk Park-Needleton Loop. At that point, one of our trek members sustained a significant ankle injury. It was a dream and once in a lifetime trip! Amherst and Organ mountains in the background. Basin and Range Trail (2020) 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. After a nice relaxing break, we hit the trail again. Thank you so much for your detailed description! The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. But there would be no sleeping in tomorrow morning though, because we were off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park! While it did have some beautiful parts, Particularly at the top of the Continental Divide and Columbine Pass, I was disappointed by the avalanche debris in the first 6 miles and the lack of trail maintenance on the section below hunchback pass to the Vallecito Bridge. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! Expect to see (or at least hear) marmots and pikas, as well as lots of chipmunks. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. 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. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. The other guy was impressed with its small size. Its most notable feature is a wye, built in 1884 to allow northbound trains to turn back when the canyons between Elk Park and Silverton, CO were blocked by winter avalanches. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. 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. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. Subscribe to receive an emial notification when new content is added, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho Landscape Photography Canvas Prints, Seeking Lost Logo Shirt - Unisex Softstyle T-Shirt, Basin and Range Trail Planning Kit: Guidebook, GPX, Maps, Waypoints, Water Chart, Vanadinite Mineral Specimen (North Geronimo Mine, AZ), Wulfenite on Fluorite Mineral Specimen (Red Cloud Mine, AZ). From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. 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. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. 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. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? Were planning to do this trip in September 2022 and Ive got a couple of questions for you. 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 . I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. Apparently, they felt more threatened by that than the rocks whizzing by their heads. 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. 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. You can download the GPX file here: http://metalbackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/gpx/WeminucheRouteHiked.gpx. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. This hike primary route. The rain subsided and we dipped below the clouds into a new valley. Thanks for sharing. Strider1. Not cheap by any means, but it was a cool way to enter and leave the wilderness. Everything was wet, including my feet. The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. Needleton, Colorado - Activities and Events | San Juan County I love being above the treeline, and I was excited to hike today. Our trek group of 6 - ages ranging from 17 to 64 years. 7 of the Best Summer Backpacking Trips in the Mountain West I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. Success! Lisa had a bit of trouble last year in the Maroon Bells when we hiked the Four Pass Loop, and I may have had a slight headache that first day as well. I learned this the hard way when hiking around Snowmass Lake last year. We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about . We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). 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. We had a couple of long days and some short days with lots of time to relax. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. I watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. I climbed up to the top of this ridge for some truly amazing views of the Weminuche Wilderness, Beautiful views of Eldorado Lake during the best weather of the afternoon, Awesome views from an unnamed high point above Eldorado Lake. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. This was perfect! This route includes 3 trails. Elk Park to Needleton Backpack Loop 5,560 views Aug 5, 2008 9 Dislike Share Save Elizabeth Black 394 subscribers From the steam engine train we backpack for 6 days on a 40 mile loop out in. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. 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. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. 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. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. It was the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. Since there are no fires allowed in Chicago Basin or the rest of the Needle Creek drainage, and the fact that I was planning on climbing in morning, we called it an early night and went to bed shortly after sundown. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. Route Vallecito Creek Bridge to Chicago Basin. With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. 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. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. None of them seemed very dry though. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. 18-21 September 2017. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. The Animas River. There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. This seemed pretty pointless though, because we just stood around until about 7:50. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. But, thats another story for another trip report. One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! So far, so good. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. 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. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. Miles Hiked 10.4 This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. There were no beavers. After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. You take a train from Durango that. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. I packed a peanut butter sandwich, some jerky, and a Metrx bar to eat later, as well as 2 liters of water. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. 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. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). The four debris fields we crossed we scary enough. 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. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? Eolus. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. 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. 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. Hiking through Vallecito Basin on our way up Columbine Pass. People really are friendly in Colorado! Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. Maybe, MAYBE in a low snow year but from what I can tell the west is getting quite a bit of powder this year so my guess would be July before the route is fully snow free. After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. Its too bad that we had already eaten dinner before starting this fire, because we still had hot dogs that we could have cooked tonight. I'm a traveler who loves to eat. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . All of our gear was dry and life was good. This was a pizza by the slice kind of place, and the slices were enormous! There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. 1. Campsite in Chicago Basin for nights 4 and 5. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. They ran downhill and out of sight, and I kept moving. This was our third trek on this trail. I didnt want to push Lisa too much in the first few days so I think the plan for days 1 and 2 were pretty good. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. Cachanilla83. In good weather it should not be a problem. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. I missed the shortcut from Eldorado Lake to Hunchback pass , many years ago.Im headed there in 2 wks and hoping to find itAny suggestions, This time I will have a GPS when looking from Hunchback pass I was pretty sure I could see a trail to Eldorado Lake , but wasnt positive so I didnt give it a try. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! Dogs are also able to. The sun was shining on the Twin Lakes now, and it was beautiful. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! 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 raining up here and quite cold. Clearly has not been maintained for a few seasons. Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. Going down always looks much harder! One mine was fairly close to the trail, so we took a quick detour and had a look inside. As always, questions and comments are welcome! We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! We definitely underestimated the length and altitude. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. Sultan Peak | Map, Guide - Silverton, CO | AllTrails 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 . Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. From a distance, I could see faint lines on the hillside that were definitely the switchbacks. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. Here's an overview! We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. Closing loop Needleton - Elk park - Durango Forum - Tripadvisor The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. We were able to cross the creek by hopping rocks and logs, just as we were able to with every other stream crossing on this trip. They must not have found much in this one and abandoned it. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. Make sure everyone in your party books the train together. 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. 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. Great hope they dont cause us any trouble tonight. Soon enough it was back to the rain. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. The water tasted great and was very cold. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. Miles Hiked 14.5 Patreon is a service that allows you to provide monthly financial support to your favorite content creators. I modified my workout regimen before this hike to try and strengthen certain parts of the leg muscles that support the knee function, some intense stair climb sessions (45lb pack), as well as doing a lot more stretching. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. PS. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. Finally, it was time to start this hike. The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. This was $90 each person for a round trip ticket, plus $10 to each to haul your backpack. 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. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel.