It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. Make sure everyone in your party books the train together. Not this time though! So far, so good. The nature back there is unbelievable. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. Route Eldorado Lake to Vallecito Creek Bridge. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. Required fields are marked *. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. I used a Deuter Kids 40 pack (it has an adjustable torso section for short people!) Next stop: Wilderness. 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. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! The train showed up about 5-10 minutes late, but was a welcome sight nonetheless. False alarm. San Juan National Forest - Elk Creek Trail/ Colorado Trail (503) After about an hour of rain, thunder and lightning, I gave up on the idea of a fire. 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. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. Length: 7.9 mi Est. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. When we visited in September, the days were hot and the nights were cold. Would you advise camping at Twin Lakes? There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. Carry a comfortable pack with a water reservoir. 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. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? 2/21/22 12:55pm. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. 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. There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. Vestal Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. Soon enough it was back to the rain. The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. Still, I was glad to have spent the night at Eldorado Lake. Thanks for sharing. There is no cover up here by Eldorado Lake, which sits well above the treeline at 12,300ft. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. It worked perfectly. If youre doing the whole Elk Park to Needleton loop, take the Durango-Silverton diesel train north from Durango to Elk Park. Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. They didnt seem to concerned with our presence though. Bugs were pretty bad this year. The other guy was impressed with its small size. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. Go figure, good weather on the last day. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. My GPS said we did 16 miles today, including going up Hunchback Pass, but later when I reviewed the data for this trip it calculated the day at 14.5 miles. Nine miles long, the route climbs 3,760 feet to the Continental Divide. we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. I have done this one twice!! We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. The water was deep and fast flowing here. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Highly recommend! After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! I proceeded downhill now alongside the edge of this. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. 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. Continental Divide Trail (2018), "His breathing is measured as he narrates his journey, describing the personal allure of the great outdoors, the difference between mere hobby and real passion. 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. Very good tip report. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. I watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. Maybe not a traditional campsite, but it was by far the driest campsite Id seen on this trip yet. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. For example, early access to youtube videos, stickers, t-shirt, behind the scenes info on my new thru hiking route creations, special thank you card and more! Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. They didnt seem afraid of humans at all. 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. Parking for the train is available in Durango and Silverton. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. Soul Rider. 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. 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. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. Miles Hiked 5.7 (summit Windom Peak starting from camp in Chicago Basin) Avalanche debris was cleared. Farther downstream revealed a tall but tiny waterfall before the land leveled out near the lake. 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. I didnt rain much though. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. There were many campsites to choose from in the area near the Vallecito Creek Bridge. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. I guess thats good, because that was less people we saw on the other days. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. Excellent views all around. Highly recommend. 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. Recommended Posts. Actually, mid May. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about . I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Absolute Best 5-7 Day Backpacking Trip ID,MT, or WY It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. Thank you so much for your detailed description! Check out this 17.3-mile out-and-back trail near Durango, Colorado. 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 the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. When youre leaving from Durango, youll need to have your gear in the boxcar at least 45 minutes before departure. Today we slept in to 6am. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. Everything was wet, including my feet. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). Lisa made it up 15 minutes later, but we didnt stick around too long. The weather started clearing up after about mile 4. Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. TR: Elk Park/Needleton Loop with extras - WhiteBlaze Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. 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. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep.