So much for being packed. We didn't. Windward_Coug. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. I asked one of the train workers if we could sit in the covered carts even though we had tickets for the open cart, and he said sure, if theres a seat available. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. 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. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. Early morning at the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad station. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. It has been our group's favorite for several years. Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? Cell service is highly unlikely. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. 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. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. I reached the summit of Windom Peak (14,087ft) by around 8:30. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. Trail Name - Elk Park/Needleton Loop Location - Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest, CO Park Type - National Forest, Wilderness Area Fees & Permits - None Length Of Time Hiked - 6 days, 5 nights Trail Type - Semi loop - Train drops you off and picks you up Miles Hiked - 48 Trail Difficulty - 8 Thats how I do it these days. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. From a distance, I could see faint lines on the hillside that were definitely the switchbacks. Had never seen so many mountains (we're from OK). Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. 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. I was happy we brought along puffer jackets and rain coats. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Finally, the weather is cooperating! drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. The other guy was impressed with its small size. View Profile The best times to visit this trail are May through September. The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! The nature back there is unbelievable. 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. Here's an overview! Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. This was perfect! Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Swampy, muddy areas where your foot sinks ankle deep in mud are also likely, as well as multiple creek crossings. All of our gear was dry and life was good. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. Going down always looks much harder! I did put a knee brace on, both knees, for the first time ever. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. As always, questions and comments are welcome! 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. Dogs are welcome and may be off-lead in some areas. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. Thank you for taking the time to write it! 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. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. . We departed about 15 minutes late, and slowly made our way out of Durango. More mountain goats as I leave the Twins Lake area. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. Oh well. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. 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. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. Next stop: Wilderness. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. Completed this loop early July 2021. 2. We did this trip in September. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Your email address will not be published. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. Our trek group of 6 - ages ranging from 17 to 64 years. By the time we reached the lake, the peaks around us were completely engulfed by the clouds. I like having dry gear! It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. Its an extra 9 miles I believe from Purgatory to Needleton. False alarm. Also, this area of the Weminuche has quite the rodent population. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. As of the 2013 season, a round-trip ticket is $90.10 + $10.00 for your pack. Share Followers 0. tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. Our total distance was about 42 miles. It was eerie and mesmerizing at the same time. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. 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. There were cairns here and there marking the way as well, which could be seen since the Twin Lakes. I chucked some rocks and shouted at them, but theyd just walk 5 feet away and stare back at us. Required fields are marked *. I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! Mojave-Sonoran Trail (2021) We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. Excellent views all around. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. Hikers exchanged stories about their experiences in the Weminuche Wilderness and beyond to kill the time. Have a good hike! I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. It worked perfectly. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. 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. It was well worn and looked much less difficult than I had imagined. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. I figured the total mileage for today would be about 14 miles, but everything after mile 4 or so would be downhill. If I recall correctly we did it in 6 nights. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. 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. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. We brought along this Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map. I'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! Thanks for sharing. The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! 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 was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. 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. Getting down to the water and going through the process of purifying the water was a bit of a pain here, but I wanted to get it out of the way in case it started raining again. People really are friendly in Colorado! Ran I to some bad weather that chased us out on the 2nd day but we saw a few moose on this trail. 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. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. I highly recommend it. Great backpacking experience!! A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. 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. Thanks for the trip report, I had originally planned just on Chicago Basin but will now do the whole loop after seeing your report and talking to the forest service rangers. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east from the Highway 550. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. 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. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail.

Seattle Vs Sunnyvale Cost Of Living, Tickets Center Lawsuit, Articles E