Would that be too early in the season? This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. Every campground, hotel, and intersection we passed, there were people waving at the train. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. We were thrilled when a ranger who had just cleared out the trail told us the three 12,000-foot passes on our route were free of snow. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. 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. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Cant wait to try this trip myself! As always, questions and comments are welcome! About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. Dogs are welcome and may be off-lead in some areas. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. 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. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. Absolute Best 5-7 Day Backpacking Trip ID,MT, or WY It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. Absolutely stunning! For details on the hike itself, see my post about the various trail segments. 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. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails PDF Trip to Weminuche Wilderness, San Juan National Forest, Colorado Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost Your email address will not be published. Go figure, good weather on the last day. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. Soon enough it was back to the rain. Down to Eldorado. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. Try this 60.4-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. I was a little nervous after getting dropped off at the trail via train and watching it ride away! No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. Where the lake began to drain out down the mountainside, there were remnants of an old dam here. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. I got injured jumping off the bridge there, so we couldn't complete the hike north over hunchback pass, and down Elk creekwe were kinda bummed. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. 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! Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. I highly recommend it. We made the decision to cut our trek short. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. Cell service is highly unlikely. Great report, how can I get your waypoints? We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. Highly recommend. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. Any feedback appreciated. This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! 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. 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. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. Finally, the weather is cooperating! 2/21/22 12:49pm. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. - John Glionna, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail, Watch Pioneering Nevada's Basin and Range Trail on other Streaming Services: Tubi, Xumo, Telus and Filmocracy, Like what you see? I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. Heres an overview map of the Weminuche Wilderness, which includes trailhead locations. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. Highly recommend! You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. The train moves very slow, around 18 MPH max speed. The water is gorgeous. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. 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 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. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. Also, bring a way to filter water. A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. Expect to see (or at least hear) marmots and pikas, as well as lots of chipmunks. Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. This time, we were sure to be acclimated to the elevation. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. 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. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? Thanks for sharing. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. 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. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. After taking some great photos near the lake, I started heading down. We got to the train stop at noon and the train picked us up at 3pm. There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. We just finished this trail. 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. The free version of caltopo only allows 5 pages max in your pdf, so just break it up into blocks of 5 pages or less and print out the entire map that way. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. This was a class 3 in my opinion. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). We followed Bear Creek down to the Rio Grande by following the 4wd road and used our sat phone to arrange for transportation to Silverton. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. There were tons of mines dotting the mountainside, some of which looked pretty difficult to get to. 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. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. 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. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. 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. Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. This was our third trek on this trail. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. Twin Lakes, still waiting for early morning light to hit tis waters. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. 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. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. Recent avalanche activity over the winter/spring created several debris fields that required us to do some significant trailblazing. As we gained elevation, the Animas River became more and more impressive. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. There was another meadow a mile or so past our camp that would have been a nice place to spend the night. Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. Strider1. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. I chucked some rocks and shouted at them, but theyd just walk 5 feet away and stare back at us. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. Our total distance was about 42 miles. PS. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. Very nice trip report! The other guy was impressed with its small size. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? Very useful. Seating is only guaranteed if you book a seat in advance. I'll never forget it. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. 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 . One night while we slept inside our River Country trekking pole tent, something chewed the cork handle off one of the poles (presumably because of salt residue from sweat). For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. The low clouds were back, engulfing Mount Kennedy southwest of us. Dogs are also able to. Overall a pretty remote and isolated trail with beautiful scenery, clean water everywhere and pristine nature. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. Finally, some views! Miles Hiked 14.5 This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. My backpack did get burned by an ember though, so I was a little bummed about that, but it should be something I can patch up. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. 2. Because of this we consider it to be a hard trail but the views were worth every single second. Then on the way back, youll catch the southbound train at Needleton and ride back to Durango. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. I have a trip report on the Mogollon Mountains in the Gila Wilderness, but the popular side is the east side with all the rivers. One of the train employees told us a little about the history of the train and how things work. Thank you so much for your detailed description! Thanks for sharing this one. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. Bob Marshall. I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. As the sun went down, the goats headed back up the mountainside for the evening. What a place for a cabin! Route Elk CReek campsite to Eldorado Lake. We headed down towards Kite, watching as the fog grew more and more around us. Weminuche Wilderness Trails - Durango Trails The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association For shelter, we carried a backpacking tent, as well as a double sleeping pad, Sea to Summit Thermolite sleeping bag liners, and a compressible backpacking quilt. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. Were planning to do this trip in September 2022 and Ive got a couple of questions for you. You can board the train for wilderness access in Durango or Silverton. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. 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. There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. 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. TR: Elk Park/Needleton Loop with extras - WhiteBlaze Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop - Champagne Tastes I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. The weather was once again threatening to rain as I made it to the top, finally sitting up on the CDT. In summer, you may want to bring along a bug net to fit over your hat to protect yourself from mosquitoes, gnats and black flies. When we visited in September, the days were hot and the nights were cold. Looking up, it looked very easy and straight forward. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. The Durango-Silverton railroad heading north to Elk Park. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp.