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 didnt rain much though. So much for being packed. Ill send this to your email as well. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. 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. We snacked on sour patch kids by the fire for a while before letting it burn out. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. Also, bring a way to filter water. View Profile What a place for a cabin! We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. There is no cover up here by Eldorado Lake, which sits well above the treeline at 12,300ft. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. Miles Hiked 14.5 There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. Never miss a new post! I used to do that, but it gets expensive to print out those big maps all the time, especially for places I likely wont return to for years. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . Alternatively, if you feel you have any information youd like to share with others regarding this hike, please feel free to leave that below in a comment as well. The ride is slow and sooty and other than the crying kids that overpopulated our car, the ride really was wonderful. Here's an overview! There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. 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. Basin and Range Trail (2020) The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. There was an insane amount of biting flies and mosquitoes by the river here though, and I was regretting my decision to leave the bug spray and mosquito head net behind. There were 2 large pines growing 3 feet apart, creating a dry spot large enough for our tent, all out gear, places to sit, and more. From above, I spotted a deer down below on the trail to Kite Lake. Route Vallecito Creek Bridge to Chicago Basin. I did put a knee brace on, both knees, for the first time ever. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. 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. Everything was wet, including my feet. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. 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. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. 2. Your email address will not be published. Ran I to some bad weather that chased us out on the 2nd day but we saw a few moose on this trail. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. 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. 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! Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. 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. This hike primary route. We camped at ~9300 ft. 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. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. It has been our group's favorite for several years. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. There were cairns here and there marking the way as well, which could be seen since the Twin Lakes. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. This was true for much of the trip. Finally below the clouds after descending Hunchback Pass, These deer practically walked right up to us while we ate lunch. The water was deep and fast flowing here. 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. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. This route includes 3 trails. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. False alarm. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. 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. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. We use the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 quilt. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. The low clouds were back, engulfing Mount Kennedy southwest of us. 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. I reached the summit of Windom Peak (14,087ft) by around 8:30. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures 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). We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. There were tons of waterfalls everywhere, many more than our hike in the Maroon Bells last year. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. Clothes and gear is now dry (mostly), and we wreaked of smoke. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. Miles Hiked 5.4 After all, it was Saturday evening. We got to the train stop at noon and the train picked us up at 3pm. Tips for Camping With Your Kids in Durango, Colorado. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Moderate (39) Weminuche Wilderness Photos (318) Directions Print/PDF Map Share Experience this 57.9-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. Sometimes 2 to a flower. Bob Marshall. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. Hey Trey, Its been many years since I did this hike so pardon my memory here. 18-21 September 2017. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. 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. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. 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. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. Very clear and interesting. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. 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'll never forget it. Strider1. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. 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. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. Vallecito Basin, which lies below Columbine pass, was pretty nice. 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. Our most reliable digital map was from Garmin, within the Garmin Explore app on my phone. Really helpful report! Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. Where the lake began to drain out down the mountainside, there were remnants of an old dam here. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. 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. I did see a lot of goat hair stuck in the trees and bushes now, which we had not seen anywhere else yet along our hike. I have done this one twice!! It was raining up here and quite cold. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. Thanks for sharing. Its an extra 9 miles I believe from Purgatory to Needleton. Avalanche debris was cleared. Have a good hike! We definitely underestimated the length and altitude. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. Every campground, hotel, and intersection we passed, there were people waving at the train. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. The people were yelling at them and throwing rocks to try and scare them away, but the goats were pretty stubborn. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. Finally, some views! Did this route from July 28 to August 3. When youre leaving from Durango, youll need to have your gear in the boxcar at least 45 minutes before departure. However, if you can afford it, the train ride is fun, and it sure is nice once you reach Elk Park and realize you don't have to make that 1,700' climb back up to Molas Pass. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. The stars were barely visible now that the morning light was fast approaching, but this was the most Id seen of stars the entire trip. I packed a peanut butter sandwich, some jerky, and a Metrx bar to eat later, as well as 2 liters of water. I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. Make sure everyone in your party books the train together. 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. 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 . Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. 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. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. After lunch, the trail had gained enough elevation to start giving us some better views as it passed alongside some cliffs. As we gained elevation, the Animas River became more and more impressive. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. 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. Your email address will not be published. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). Elk Park-Needleton Loop. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. However, the clouds were building now and threatened to block the sun for the first time today. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. After going up a series of switchbacks, I had reached the Twin Lakes by around 7:15. 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. Also, this area of the Weminuche has quite the rodent population. Instead of heading over to Sunlight, I decided to follow the drainage leading to Twin Lakes and explore that area. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. Here are our top tips on preparing for a successful and safe loop from Elk Park to Needleton in the mountains of Colorado! The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. Copyright 2015-2023 Champagne TastesAll Rights Reserved. For example, early access to youtube videos, stickers, t-shirt, behind the scenes info on my new thru hiking route creations, special thank you card and more! Down to Eldorado. We saw 3 hikers coming down Hunchback Pass earlier as we were going up, and didnt see anyone else today until we got about a mile from the Vallecito Creek Bridge. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. Lisa just made it up over the last rocky ridge on the CDT, giving way to views of Eldorado Lake. The San Juan mountains are notorious for being snowy and the best time is probably mid July to Mid September. This was our third trek on this trail. The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. 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. It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. My wife and I completed this hike in September of 2016 and loved it. Learn more about the wildlife in the area. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. 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. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. Completed this loop early July 2021. 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. You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. This is where Eldorado Lake drains off the mountainside and down to the Miners Cabin area we passed earlier today, Looking up at 13,627ft White Dome from the Eldorado Lake drainage. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. . 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. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. I watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. Looking for a 40-60 mile, week trip. That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! The train moves very slow, around 18 MPH max speed. It also didnt hurt that we pampered ourselves a little afterwards with a leisurely day at Pagosa Springs. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. 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 . He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. 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. But we opted to take the train! It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. 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. There was another group who did this, and the train staff didn't seem to have any problem with it (we had paid for a RT ticket anyway). This was a class 3 in my opinion. A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. Ride the train to a day of ziplining on the longest course in the US. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. Yes there is. Where did you get the map? Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. 5h 16m. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. There were tons of mines dotting the mountainside, some of which looked pretty difficult to get to. The pictures dont even come close to being there first hand. By the time we reached the lake, the peaks around us were completely engulfed by the clouds. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. Today we slept in to 6am. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. The Weminuche Loop is a classic 40-50 mile horseshoe hike that starts at Elk Park and ends at Needleton. I wasnt sore at all until day 4 or 5, with only moderate soreness in the hamstrings. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. 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. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. He sure did look delicious, haha. Im assuming forest service will clear this soon. This is when the fog really started growing. Miles Hiked 7.4 Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. After lunch, we continued to climb in elevation until we reached the Miners Cabin just below the CDT. We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. We saw very little traffic through our area where we camped, despite being right next to the trail. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) Apparently, they felt more threatened by that than the rocks whizzing by their heads. I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. As another hiker had told me earlier today, there were a lot of rodent holes in this area, and I could see mice running around everywhere. 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. From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today.
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