Enjoy the hike, its a good one! Really helpful report! 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. Thats for water drainage, and maybe goats. I laughed and told him how I lost the trail before it headed up. After lunch, the trail had gained enough elevation to start giving us some better views as it passed alongside some cliffs. Amazing views and pretty easy navigation (cant miss the trail). It was eerie and mesmerizing at the same time. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. 2. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. Tips for Camping With Your Kids in Durango, Colorado. How bad was the narrow passage near Chicago Basin? They must not have found much in this one and abandoned it. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. 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. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! Yet another day we found ourselves traversing a pass in bad weather. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. 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. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. Carrying a backpack downhill has wreaked havoc on my knees on my last few hikes, but I was spared this time. Everything was still pretty wet from the rains overnight, and it was cold. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. It has been our group's favorite for several years. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. The times we've done this, the train departed Silverton about 2:45 PM and dropped us of by 3:45 PM. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. I like having dry gear! Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. The best times to visit this trail are May through September. Finally, with any backpacking trip, you should look for an emergency out. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. I have done this one twice!! See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. We snacked on sour patch kids by the fire for a while before letting it burn out. 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. Bob Marshall. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Moderate (39) Weminuche Wilderness Photos (318) Directions Print/PDF Map Share Experience this 57.9-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. None of them seemed very dry though. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. Route Vallecito Creek Bridge to Chicago Basin. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. Browse different rides & seasonal events. Im considering doing this loop this summer and you have really helped! 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. I was . 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. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. Back, finally! However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. Caltopo is pretty awesome if you havent used it already. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. instead of the 7:30AM train which stopped at Needleton. 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. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware. 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. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. Its easy to explore the Colorado wilderness from the Durango train. So much for being packed. The Twin Lakes were still in the shadows, as the sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate it. You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. Very good tip report. I didnt rain much though. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. Past that meadow, the trail begins to climb past the treeline. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. Thanks for the great report! We brought along this Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. First week of June, the only people out there will probably be CDT thru hikers, and theyll be up against a lot of snow still. However, the clouds were building now and threatened to block the sun for the first time today. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. As with the other days, we passed many streams and waterfalls on the way up. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. 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. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. 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. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. He sure did look delicious, haha. All of our gear was dry and life was good. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! Prepare to not have a cell signal. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. At that point, one of our trek members sustained a significant ankle injury. Thanks for sharing. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. 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. Columbine Lake Trail #509 in San Juan National Forest is a difficult and steep trail with 16 discernible switchbacks but it's worth the effort. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. Very clear and interesting. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. You could see burnt trees the entire train ride, so I guess its a pretty real threat. We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. Leave a Comment. 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. Also, A creek ran through the area and created an interesting looking gorge that I wish I had more time to check out, but we really wanted to get to camp right now. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. Route Eldorado Lake to Vallecito Creek Bridge. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. I did put a knee brace on, both knees, for the first time ever. 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. 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. Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. Basin and Range Trail (2020) Here comes my ride! The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. 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. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. Soul Rider. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Breathtaking! The amazing view from Hunchback Pass clouds. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. 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. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. (we were going from Needleton to Elk Park). Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back.

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