However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! This hike primary route. Very clear and interesting. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. The other guy was impressed with its small size. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! But we opted to take the train! Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. 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. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Great hope they dont cause us any trouble tonight. Since youll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you should be Bear Aware. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. TR: Elk Park/Needleton Loop with extras - WhiteBlaze After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Hiking Route | Trailforks This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. I highly recommend it. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. Oh well. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. 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). Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. It looked like a nice spot, close to the water, but the views werent excellent. Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. Your email address will not be published. There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. 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. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. It resides at 8,277 feet of elevation in San Juan County. I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. From above, I spotted a deer down below on the trail to Kite Lake. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. As with the other days, we passed many streams and waterfalls on the way up. However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. Happy trails! They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. Awesome, thanks! There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Ride the train to a day of ziplining on the longest course in the US. For details on the hike itself, see my post about the various trail segments. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. Where did you get the map? At that point, one of our trek members sustained a significant ankle injury. We departed about 15 minutes late, and slowly made our way out of Durango. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. Very well done! The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. Any feedback appreciated. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop - Champagne Tastes Every mountain we encountered was amazing! We brought along this Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map. Im considering doing this loop this summer and you have really helped! Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. We loved this trail and would highly recommend! 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. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. We followed Bear Creek down to the Rio Grande by following the 4wd road and used our sat phone to arrange for transportation to Silverton. Would that be too early in the season? I hope your backpacking trip is just as epic as ours was. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. More mountain goats as I leave the Twins Lake area. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. I saw maybe 10 people on day 5, and probably about 60 on day 6. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Share Followers 0. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. Finally, the weather is cooperating! Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. There havent been any bugs out the last 2 nights though, and I was really wishing we had a fire like this on night one. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. Ran I to some bad weather that chased us out on the 2nd day but we saw a few moose on this trail. This was a pizza by the slice kind of place, and the slices were enormous! West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. Thanks for sharing. Heres an overview map of the Weminuche Wilderness, which includes trailhead locations. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. Bob Marshall. It didnt rain extremely heavily at any time, but it was just so damn frequent. Definitely recommend to bring waterproofs shoes and pants to be comfortable. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure. People really are friendly in Colorado! Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. 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. - John Glionna, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail, Watch Pioneering Nevada's Basin and Range Trail on other Streaming Services: Tubi, Xumo, Telus and Filmocracy, Like what you see? The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. 1. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. The nature back there is unbelievable. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. We passed several waterfalls and areas of whitewater. The Animas River. Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost Seating is only guaranteed if you book a seat in advance. Your email address will not be published. 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. We returned back to the shack for a while, but decided to wait at the track 15 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. Amazing views and pretty easy navigation (cant miss the trail). There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. Required fields are marked *. 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. Highly recommend. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. The rain subsided and we dipped below the clouds into a new valley. Check out this 17.3-mile out-and-back trail near Durango, Colorado. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. Your monthly pledge helps me bring you more quality hiking and outdoor adventure videos, trail guides and content. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! You ride the Durango/Silverton Steam Train and it drops you off. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. The water tasted great and was very cold. 7 of the Best Summer Backpacking Trips in the Mountain West I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. Great backpacking experience!! The water is gorgeous. The free version of caltopo only allows 5 pages max in your pdf, so just break it up into blocks of 5 pages or less and print out the entire map that way. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. This entry was posted on August 29, 2013. I didnt rain much though. It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility.
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