elk park train stop to needleton

Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. 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. The stars were barely visible now that the morning light was fast approaching, but this was the most Id seen of stars the entire trip. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. Miles Hiked 5.4 This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. In fact, there wasnt a single cloud in sight now, just a beautiful deep blue sky in all directions. This was perfect! My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. The San Juan mountains are notorious for being snowy and the best time is probably mid July to Mid September. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. They didnt seem afraid of humans at all. The rock is slippery and there is nothing to help you balance yourself on this very narrow section of trail, which happens to have a BIG drop on your left. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. Browse different rides & seasonal events. It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. When youre leaving from Durango, youll need to have your gear in the boxcar at least 45 minutes before departure. It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. After climbing about a third of the way up to the CDT, I hit a switchback, which I gladly used the rest of the way up. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. Everything was wet, including my feet. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. Highly recommend. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. False alarm. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. 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." Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. Our total distance was about 42 miles. I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. Then on the way back, youll catch the southbound train at Needleton and ride back to Durango. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. 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. What a morale booster it was. This route includes 3 trails. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. You could see burnt trees the entire train ride, so I guess its a pretty real threat. 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. Thank you for taking the time to write it! Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). My wife and I completed this hike in September of 2016 and loved it. There was an insane amount of biting flies and mosquitoes by the river here though, and I was regretting my decision to leave the bug spray and mosquito head net behind. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. 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 Recommended Posts. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Carrying a backpack downhill has wreaked havoc on my knees on my last few hikes, but I was spared this time. Since there are no fires allowed in Chicago Basin or the rest of the Needle Creek drainage, and the fact that I was planning on climbing in morning, we called it an early night and went to bed shortly after sundown. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. Go figure, good weather on the last day. Leave a Comment. Where did you get the map? Route Vallecito Creek Bridge to Chicago Basin. Eventually, it became steeper, to the point where there were some moments of exposure. One of the train employees told us a little about the history of the train and how things work. 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. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! 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. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. I was a little nervous after getting dropped off at the trail via train and watching it ride away! The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. Oh well. 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. Really helpful report! I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. Bugs were pretty bad this year. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. 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. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. 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. 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. Any and all kinds of weather! Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. This was our third trek on this trail. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). Hiking through Vallecito Basin on our way up Columbine Pass. Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. Very useful. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. I climbed up to the top of this ridge for some truly amazing views of the Weminuche Wilderness, Beautiful views of Eldorado Lake during the best weather of the afternoon, Awesome views from an unnamed high point above Eldorado Lake. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. Had never seen so many mountains (we're from OK). 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east from the Highway 550. 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. tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. 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. Clothes and gear is now dry (mostly), and we wreaked of smoke. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. I didnt rain much though. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. 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 . The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. How bad was the narrow passage near Chicago Basin? Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. Cachanilla83. There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. There was another meadow a mile or so past our camp that would have been a nice place to spend the night. Although it was monsoon season during our trip, we were told that the coal cinders often start forest fires. After realizing that, I looked around and could see where the trail picked up again, and started hiking directly towards the trail in the distance. The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. Today we slept in to 6am. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. I highly recommend it. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. Straddling sections of the infamous Continental . Soon enough, wed be overtaken by the unavoidable fog. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! Would that be too early in the season? See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. 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. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. Required fields are marked *. 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. This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. Hikers exchanged stories about their experiences in the Weminuche Wilderness and beyond to kill the time. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. A group of seven hikers (2 men, 5 women) also loaded their packs, giving a total of 12 of us to be dropped at Elk Park. The best times to visit this trail are May through September. Hello, solitude. Campsite in Chicago Basin for nights 4 and 5. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Its most notable feature is a wye, built in 1884 to allow northbound trains to turn back when the canyons between Elk Park and Silverton, CO were blocked by winter avalanches. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. The nature back there is unbelievable. We had a couple of long days and some short days with lots of time to relax. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! Your monthly pledge helps me bring you more quality hiking and outdoor adventure videos, trail guides and content. Small amounts of debris from avalanche on the Needles creek trail but easy to navigate. Your email address will not be published. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. For that reason, a small cart follows the train to check for any fires started by the train alongside the tracks. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. In good weather it should not be a problem. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 36 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Silverton, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. 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. 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 Heres an overview map of the Weminuche Wilderness, which includes trailhead locations. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. As the sun went down, the goats headed back up the mountainside for the evening. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. Bob Marshall. It also didnt hurt that we pampered ourselves a little afterwards with a leisurely day at Pagosa Springs. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. You take a train from Durango that. From a distance, I could see faint lines on the hillside that were definitely the switchbacks. Molas Lake to Animas River via Molas Trail, Vestal Basin via Colorado and Elk Creek Trail, Stony Pass, ATV Trail 821, and Cinnamon Pass OHV Route. Lower elevations and farther south, definitely no snow and the spring melt off is going to be done by then. 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. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. They must not have found much in this one and abandoned it. This was a class 3 in my opinion. This is where Eldorado Lake drains off the mountainside and down to the Miners Cabin area we passed earlier today, Looking up at 13,627ft White Dome from the Eldorado Lake drainage. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. At columbine Lake, I dont think youd have an issue finding a suitable site. Alternatively, if you feel you have any information youd like to share with others regarding this hike, please feel free to leave that below in a comment as well. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. We stopped to eat lunch on a talus slope and observed many pikas, no marmots yet though. It has been our group's favorite for several years. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. I was happy we brought along puffer jackets and rain coats. It was filed under Backpacking Trip Reports and was tagged with backpacking trip report, cdt, chicago basin, colorado backpacking, colorado hikes, colorado photography, colorado summer hikes, colorado trail, continental divide, durango train, eldorado lake, elk park needleton, hiking 2013, loop hike, mountain photography, multi day hikes, san juan, san juan mountains, san juan national forest, weeklong loop hike, weminuche wilderness, windom peak. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). Thanks for sharing. Here's an overview! Going down always looks much harder! Finally, some views! I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. Great hope they dont cause us any trouble tonight. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. 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. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. So far, so good. We passed several waterfalls and areas of whitewater. Recent avalanche activity over the winter/spring created several debris fields that required us to do some significant trailblazing. 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. First, dont forget your sunglasses! We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. 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. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. Did this route from July 28 to August 3. We just finished this trail. Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. 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. The water is gorgeous. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). Thats how I do it these days. El mejor momento para visitar esta . It looked like a nice spot, close to the water, but the views werent excellent. 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. The four debris fields we crossed we scary enough. 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. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. The sun was shining on the Twin Lakes now, and it was beautiful. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. I wasnt sore at all until day 4 or 5, with only moderate soreness in the hamstrings. This section of trail is also part of the Colorado Trail, a 400 mile trail that goes from Durango to Denver. Also, bring a way to filter water. We didn't. Windward_Coug. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. One of the biggest drawing points of the Elk Creek trail is the unique opportunity to combine a Wilderness trip with a ride on a steam locomotive. Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. Great backpacking experience!! Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware. Finally, it was time to start this hike. Miles Hiked 5.4 Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. 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. After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. This was after 10 minutes of having rocks thrown at them. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. By the time we were leaving the treeline behind, foul weather had returned. As another hiker had told me earlier today, there were a lot of rodent holes in this area, and I could see mice running around everywhere. Have a good hike! After lunch, the trail had gained enough elevation to start giving us some better views as it passed alongside some cliffs. It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. While it did have some beautiful parts, Particularly at the top of the Continental Divide and Columbine Pass, I was disappointed by the avalanche debris in the first 6 miles and the lack of trail maintenance on the section below hunchback pass to the Vallecito Bridge.

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