I am going in Aug 2017 and want to make sure to get a good map. My breakfast today was a very hearty helping of granola and almonds (about 800 calories worth), and some dried strawberries. Next stop: Wilderness. I was . Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. Recommended Posts. Check out this 17.3-mile out-and-back trail near Durango, Colorado. Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. There was a lot of toilet paper and poop laying around near some of the campsites though, evidence of heavy usage. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. 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. The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad: Back Packing Train Weminuche Wilderness Trails - Durango Trails The best times to visit this trail are May through September. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. After lunch, the trail had gained enough elevation to start giving us some better views as it passed alongside some cliffs. with an Osprey water bladder. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. Lisa just made it up over the last rocky ridge on the CDT, giving way to views of Eldorado Lake. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. 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. Actually, mid May. We changed clothes in the car and tried to mask our stench with deodorant and cologne/perfume before setting off into the city in search of food. I do regret getting the open-cart seats though, because it was raining and it was not dry inside.
Reddit - Dive into anything Sunlight Peak via Needle Creek Trail | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. Sad to see all the beetle damage. Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. 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. Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. We set our packs up on a rock ledge with rain covers on, hoping thats be enough to keep them dry. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. 1. The four debris fields we crossed we scary enough. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. Browse different rides & seasonal events. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. We definitely underestimated the length and altitude. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) We camped at ~9300 ft. Our trek group of 6 - ages ranging from 17 to 64 years. Miles Hiked 5.4 I highly recommend it. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. We headed down towards Kite, watching as the fog grew more and more around us. Weminuche Wilderness, CO Elk Park/Needleton Loop Hike. San Juan National Forest. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. It worked perfectly. None of them seemed very dry though. I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. 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. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. 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. Dogs are welcome and may be off-lead in some areas. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! There was goat hair all around the campsite, but we had yet to see one. And what a campsite that would be, killer views!
Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Hiking Route | Trailforks Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. After a nice relaxing break, we hit the trail again.
The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. 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. 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. As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. Esta ruta es popular para mochilear, disfrutar de la observacin de aves y ir de camping, sin embargo, podrs disfrutar de algo de paz durante los momentos ms tranquilos del da. Prepare to not have a cell signal.
7 of the Best Summer Backpacking Trips in the Mountain West I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). For suggestions, see my guides to the best womens hiking boots and hiking gear for men. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. It has been our group's favorite for several years. 18-21 September 2017. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. I've begun planning my adventures for this summer, and while there will be a handful of overnighters and long weekends, I've settled on the Elk Park-Needleton Loop for my main trip. 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.
San Juan National Forest - Elk Creek Trail/ Colorado Trail (503) My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. It took us 7 days to complete it. This is when the fog really started growing. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. The water tasted great and was very cold. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! I had also been considering a climb up Sunlight Peak as well, but it was so nice up here on Windom Peak that I decided to relax, and just enjoy the beautiful view. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Cant wait to try this trip myself! We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. This particular mine only ran about 30ft or so, and was not that interesting. That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! Nice! There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. If we werent wet and hungry, I might have stopped to check it out further, but again, we were on a mission to find camp. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. Get around Durango in style with rental vehicles. Everything was wet, including my feet. Debris form 2020 avalanches on the elk park section have been cleared but theres quite a bit of fallen trees blocking the needle creek trail out of the Chicago Basin. 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. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. 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. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. It is a fairly difficult hike, but not one that isn't doable. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. 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. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. We didn't. Windward_Coug. Still, there were several more people that were waiting by the train tracks and elsewhere. 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. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. 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! This was a class 3 in my opinion. A hiking boot is preferable. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. I was following a GPX track on my GPS of another person who had hiked this loop, and his track led me off trail a little bit. Going down always looks much harder! The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. 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. This route includes 3 trails. Miles Hiked 14.5 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. From above, I spotted a deer down below on the trail to Kite Lake. The train showed up about 5-10 minutes late, but was a welcome sight nonetheless. Your email address will not be published. The people were yelling at them and throwing rocks to try and scare them away, but the goats were pretty stubborn. Lots of flowers, waterfalls, and views. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. I was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. Your email address will not be published. Finally, it was time to start this hike. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Eric Poulin, long distance hiker and outdoor adventurer, Greenland Hike/Packraft Expedition (2022) *Coming Soon But we opted to take the train! Also, if youre looking for a GPX file, you can download that here http://metalbackpacker.com/gpx-files/. Bugs were pretty bad this year. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! There was another meadow a mile or so past our camp that would have been a nice place to spend the night. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. 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. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. Down to Eldorado. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. I have done this one twice!! Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. We had a couple of long days and some short days with lots of time to relax. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. He discourses on his own mortality, about getting too old to have such adventures, and striking your own path in life while you still can." On the train, make sure to talk to the train staff! Eventually, it became steeper, to the point where there were some moments of exposure. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! This hike primary route. Required fields are marked *. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. Seeking Lost: Thru-Hiking & Backpacking Adventures, Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 8 Day Rockhounding & Mineral Collecting in the Santa Teresa Mountains, AZ (Nov 2022), How Much Did It Cost?? I used a Deuter Kids 40 pack (it has an adjustable torso section for short people!) We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. 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. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. False alarm. 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. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. But, thats another story for another trip report. 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. Every campground, hotel, and intersection we passed, there were people waving at the train. You take a train from Durango that. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. Farther downstream revealed a tall but tiny waterfall before the land leveled out near the lake. Lisa made it up 15 minutes later, but we didnt stick around too long. Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. Our most reliable digital map was from Garmin, within the Garmin Explore app on my phone. 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. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. I'll never forget it. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. Venchka. Todays hike will take us down by Kite Lake, over Hunchback Pass, and all the way down to the Vallecito Creek bridge, near Johnson Creek. 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. Ill send this to your email as well. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. On day four, we hiked along the 4wd road to Pole Creek and picked up our ride there. Highly recommend! Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. How bad was the narrow passage near Chicago Basin? Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. 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. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. 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. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware.
Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. This was already painting a picture of what Chicago Basin might be like tomorrow, as it is supposed to be the most heavily used area in the Weminuche Wilderness.
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