My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. I'll never forget it. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. 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. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. As always, questions and comments are welcome! One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. Make sure everyone in your party books the train together. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. Route Elk CReek campsite to Eldorado Lake. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. 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. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. Miles Hiked 10.4 Are there fishing opportunities along this route? Expect to see (or at least hear) marmots and pikas, as well as lots of chipmunks. Heres an overview map of the Weminuche Wilderness, which includes trailhead locations. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. 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. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). Avalanche debris was cleared. The water was deep and fast flowing here. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. 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. Success! This was a class 3 in my opinion. My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. You can download the GPX file here: http://metalbackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/gpx/WeminucheRouteHiked.gpx. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. The water is gorgeous. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. 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. Its an extra 9 miles I believe from Purgatory to Needleton. Browse different rides & seasonal events. Lots of flowers, waterfalls, and views. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. 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. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. Nice! I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. Cell service is highly unlikely. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. Purgetory was the popular trailhead of choice for non-train riders. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. 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. I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. Thanks for sharing. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. As the sun went down, the goats headed back up the mountainside for the evening. San Juan National Forest. Past that meadow, the trail begins to climb past the treeline. I was . It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. Completed this loop early July 2021. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. I'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. There were many stream crossings and several large waterfalls that we passed, but due to the weather and number of miles we had to cover, we didnt spend any time checking most of them out. 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! They can be a lifesaver on a long hike. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. As we gained elevation, the Animas River became more and more impressive. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. Venchka. One mine was fairly close to the trail, so we took a quick detour and had a look inside. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. For some reason, the mileage the GPS reports to me in the field is always more than the mileage it gives me at home when I am reviewing the final data. Youre hiking at high elevation in a very sunny spot, so protecting your eyes is important. PS. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Hello, solitude. Would that be too early in the season? What a place for a cabin though! Tomorrow is going to be a long day. The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. Leave a Comment. I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! Very good tip report. Here comes my ride! We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. Some hikers we met said that it sleeted on them one evening (when it had only rained on us). The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. 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 definitely underestimated the length and altitude. The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. This section of trail is also part of the Colorado Trail, a 400 mile trail that goes from Durango to Denver. Apparently, they felt more threatened by that than the rocks whizzing by their heads. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. Very useful. Looking for a 40-60 mile, week trip. We just finished this trail. The best times to visit this trail are May through September. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. We made the decision to cut our trek short. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! We returned back to the shack for a while, but decided to wait at the track 15 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. Soon enough it was back to the rain. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. Carrying a backpack downhill has wreaked havoc on my knees on my last few hikes, but I was spared this time. Very well done! There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Try this 60.4-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. 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. Anyways, with breakfast in our stomachs and all our wet gear packed away, we hit the trail around 7:30. You can board the train for wilderness access in Durango or Silverton. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. 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. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. Your email address will not be published. We had a lot of rain, starting everyday around 1 pm and lasting for a couple of hours. This route includes 3 trails. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. 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. Length: 7.9 mi Est. But we opted to take the train! Im considering doing this loop this summer and you have really helped! I love being above the treeline, and I was excited to hike today. Very nice trip report! At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. The sun was shining on the Twin Lakes now, and it was beautiful. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. Yet another day we found ourselves traversing a pass in bad weather. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. This hike is definitely a good one! We loved this trail and would highly recommend! It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. 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. All of our gear was dry and life was good. The altitude on this backpacking loop varies from around 8,000 to nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. The third day we hiked ~11 miles, starting with 2 miles downhill and then 7 miles to the top of columbine pass and then 2 miles down to camp at Chicago basin. Where did you get the map? Parking for the train is available in Durango and Silverton. (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). Instead of heading over to Sunlight, I decided to follow the drainage leading to Twin Lakes and explore that area. 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 . That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! Everything was wet, including my feet. Required fields are marked *. Cachanilla83. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. Also, if youre looking for a GPX file, you can download that here http://metalbackpacker.com/gpx-files/. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. Caltopo is pretty awesome if you havent used it already. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Eventually, it became steeper, to the point where there were some moments of exposure. The people were yelling at them and throwing rocks to try and scare them away, but the goats were pretty stubborn. We got to the train stop at noon and the train picked us up at 3pm. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. Breathtaking! I can use train but according to DSNGRR schedule, their trains stops EITHER in Needlton OR in Elk Park, but not in BOTH. The only stop on the southbound trail in the afternoon is Elk Park. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. Black flies were a pain the whole week. Next stop: Wilderness. I followed the lake to its drainage, which for reference was directly south of the Miners Cabin. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. Great backpacking experience!! If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. At columbine Lake, I dont think youd have an issue finding a suitable site. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? There were a bunch of waterfalls along Needle Creek though. The Animas River. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. It worked perfectly. Really helpful report! 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. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. 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). In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. Bugs were pretty bad this year. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection. 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. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. Cant wait to try this trip myself! The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. 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. After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. 1. 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. A hiking boot is preferable. This entry was posted on August 29, 2013. After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. Thanks for sharing this one. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. I reached the summit of Windom Peak (14,087ft) by around 8:30. Clearly has not been maintained for a few seasons. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. This was $90 each person for a round trip ticket, plus $10 to each to haul your backpack. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. But there would be no sleeping in tomorrow morning though, because we were off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park! Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). Lisa was still far below me, and the other hikers told her to hike directly to her right a ways until she hit the switchbacks, as they had a clear view from above us. 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. Miles Hiked 7.4 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. I guess thats good, because that was less people we saw on the other days. Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. For that reason, a small cart follows the train to check for any fires started by the train alongside the tracks. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! Hiking through Vallecito Basin on our way up Columbine Pass. 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. Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. 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. However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. As of the 2013 season, a round-trip ticket is $90.10 + $10.00 for your pack. Seating is only guaranteed if you book a seat in advance. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. We passed several waterfalls and areas of whitewater. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. Highly recommend! I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate.
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