Basin and Range Trail (2020) We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. Vallecito Basin, which lies below Columbine pass, was pretty nice. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. Caltopo is pretty awesome if you havent used it already. Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. 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. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. So much for being packed. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. 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. We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. False alarm. 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. A full train schedule is available on the Durango Train website. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. We departed about 15 minutes late, and slowly made our way out of Durango. Finally, the weather is cooperating! It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. What a morale booster it was. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. 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. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. Yes there is. Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. Great backpacking experience!! But there would be no sleeping in tomorrow morning though, because we were off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park! We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. Where did you get the map? Actually, mid May. I can use train but according to DSNGRR schedule, their trains stops EITHER in Needlton OR in Elk Park, but not in BOTH. We use the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 quilt. It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! Would that be too early in the season? There were a bunch of waterfalls along Needle Creek though. The train moves very slow, around 18 MPH max speed. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. After the train dropped us off at Elk Park, it was pretty quiet. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. 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. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. There were no beavers. Preparing for Elk Park to Needleton Loop - Champagne Tastes Never miss a new post! Finally, some views! This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. Needleton, Colorado - Activities and Events | San Juan County I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. This time wasn't as bad as 1993, where my ancient A-frame tent blew down, but I'd suggest doing it in August for longer days and less rain. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. First, dont forget your sunglasses! Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Hiking Route | Trailforks When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. A very convenient spot for an abandoned shack to be located. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. From a distance, I could see faint lines on the hillside that were definitely the switchbacks. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! 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. Excellent views all around. Weminuche Wilderness, CO - Elk Park/Needleton Loop Hike Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . We stopped to eat lunch on a talus slope and observed many pikas, no marmots yet though. A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). 7 of the Best Summer Backpacking Trips in the Mountain West If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop - Champagne Tastes We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. 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. Highly recommend! At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Parking for the train is available in Durango and Silverton. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Weve also been testing this Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45 + 5 pack and love it. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. 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. I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! I followed the lake to its drainage, which for reference was directly south of the Miners Cabin. It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. I watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. Id say we averaged about 4-5 bouts of rain per day. 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. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. We didn't. Windward_Coug. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). TR: Elk Park/Needleton Loop with extras - WhiteBlaze After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. 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. In fact, there wasnt a single cloud in sight now, just a beautiful deep blue sky in all directions. Weminuche Wilderness Trails - Durango Trails 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. At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. 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). The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. . Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. 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. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). It even had some rails leading in and out of it. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. There is no cover up here by Eldorado Lake, which sits well above the treeline at 12,300ft. 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. Also, bring a way to filter water. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. Weminuche Wilderness - Elk Park to Needleton - The Wild Perspective 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 It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. I used a Garmin InReach Mini 2 to track our location, and any time we came to an unmarked trail junction, we knew which way to go. I didnt rain much though. Brandon why didnt you ask for Tiffanys number??? Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. Strider1. The Twin Lakes were still in the shadows, as the sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate it. 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 . The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. 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. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? Closing loop Needleton - Elk park - Durango Forum - Tripadvisor The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad: Back Packing Train I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Lisa was out roaming too, watching the many Ptarmigan birds in the area. I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. This seemed pretty pointless though, because we just stood around until about 7:50. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. Not cheap by any means, but it was a cool way to enter and leave the wilderness. Finally, with any backpacking trip, you should look for an emergency out. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below).