Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. Obviously I skipped this route on our way up here, opting to go the traditional way up the switchbacks to the CDT, but I was curious if it was doable. As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. 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. Share Followers 0. Yet another day we found ourselves traversing a pass in bad weather. By the time we reached the lake, the peaks around us were completely engulfed by the clouds. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. I'll never forget it. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. The Elk Park to Needleton loop in the Weminuche Wilderness, to be precise. Im assuming forest service will clear this soon. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. There was another meadow a mile or so past our camp that would have been a nice place to spend the night. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. Expect to see (or at least hear) marmots and pikas, as well as lots of chipmunks. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. 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. The weather started clearing up after about mile 4. This hike is definitely a good one! He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. On day four, we hiked along the 4wd road to Pole Creek and picked up our ride there. 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. The Weminuche Loop is a classic 40-50 mile horseshoe hike that starts at Elk Park and ends at Needleton. Thats for water drainage, and maybe goats. I laughed and told him how I lost the trail before it headed up. Highly recommend. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. He sure did look delicious, haha. Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. One of the train employees told us a little about the history of the train and how things work. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. 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. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . For suggestions, see my guides to the best womens hiking boots and hiking gear for men. Thats how I do it these days. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. 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. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. 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 As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. Completed this loop early July 2021. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. Youre hiking at high elevation in a very sunny spot, so protecting your eyes is important. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. But, thats another story for another trip report. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. Thankfully, we never needed to press the SOS button, but I was thrilled with the functionality of the map and messaging features. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. By the time we were leaving the treeline behind, foul weather had returned. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. Awesome, thanks! Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Happy trails! 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After about 20 minutes of hiking, I ran into my first mountain goats of the day. One of the things that makes this loop so special is that the trailheads can both be reached via the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railroad, a tourist train pulled by a steam locomotive that has been used in dozens of . Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. 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. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. Carrying a backpack downhill has wreaked havoc on my knees on my last few hikes, but I was spared this time. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). 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. Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. 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. 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 reached the summit of Windom Peak (14,087ft) by around 8:30. My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). It also didnt hurt that we pampered ourselves a little afterwards with a leisurely day at Pagosa Springs. I knew the vegetation was still wet from last evenings rain, and didnt feel like being soaked to the bone if the trail happens to go through dense foliage. Try this 60.4-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. Absolutely stunning! It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. 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. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. 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. Had never seen so many mountains (we're from OK). 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 mine was fairly close to the trail, so we took a quick detour and had a look inside. Very clear and interesting. 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 kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. The water is gorgeous. Recommended Posts. I was . Thanks for sharing. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! 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. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. 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. You can download the GPX file here: http://metalbackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/gpx/WeminucheRouteHiked.gpx. we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. This is when the fog really started growing. How bad was the narrow passage near Chicago Basin? instead of the 7:30AM train which stopped at Needleton. With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. Todays hike will take us the rest of the way up the Elk Creek drainage along the Colorado trail, where well hit the Continental Divide Trail, or CDT. Any feedback appreciated. Cell service is highly unlikely. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Miles Hiked 5.4 On day one, between the Elk Park Train Drop Off Trail Head and Beaver Pond, we encountered 3 large debris fields. Finally, with any backpacking trip, you should look for an emergency out. Looking back up the way I just came down from Windom Peak. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. Have a good hike! Ride the train to a day of ziplining on the longest course in the US. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). I like having dry gear! Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. After a nice relaxing break, we hit the trail again. Here's an overview! We met others that were completing this 36-40 mile trip as we were walking into the wilderness from Needleton. Miles Hiked 5.7 (summit Windom Peak starting from camp in Chicago Basin) Actually, mid May. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. 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. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. Some hikers we met said that it sleeted on them one evening (when it had only rained on us). PS. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. Browse different rides & seasonal events. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. 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. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. This particular mine only ran about 30ft or so, and was not that interesting. Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. 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. We set our packs up on a rock ledge with rain covers on, hoping thats be enough to keep them dry. 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'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. I chucked some rocks and shouted at them, but theyd just walk 5 feet away and stare back at us. Thanks for sharing. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. 18-21 September 2017. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. Amazing views and pretty easy navigation (cant miss the trail). I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. Going down always looks much harder! I was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. We use the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 quilt. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! I love being above the treeline, and I was excited to hike today. Bugs were pretty bad this year. The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. Small amounts of debris from avalanche on the Needles creek trail but easy to navigate. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. The on and off rain was definitely a bummer though. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. Hey Trey, Its been many years since I did this hike so pardon my memory here. The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. The Durango-Silverton railroad heading north to Elk Park. This was our third trek on this trail. 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. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. This was a class 3 in my opinion. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. 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. Hello, solitude. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). It didnt rain extremely heavily at any time, but it was just so damn frequent. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. The amazing view from Hunchback Pass clouds. Lower elevations and farther south, definitely no snow and the spring melt off is going to be done by then. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. Parking in Durango is $8 per day for cars and $10 per day for RVs. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. Would you advise camping at Twin Lakes? There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. 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). The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. 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. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. 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. Past that meadow, the trail begins to climb past the treeline. 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. Where did you get the map? The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. We definitely underestimated the length and altitude. On the train, make sure to talk to the train staff! Really helpful report! You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. All of our gear was dry and life was good. . The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. I am going in Aug 2017 and want to make sure to get a good map. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. 2/21/22 12:49pm. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. In good weather it should not be a problem. 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. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. Every mountain we encountered was amazing! The water tasted great and was very cold. Learn more about the wildlife in the area. It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. 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. There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. I hit the trail around 6:15 with full rain gear on. Very nice trip report! One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. This hike primary route. 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. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. 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. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. 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. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. Great report, how can I get your waypoints? We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. 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. After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles).
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