The Weminuche Loop is a classic 40-50 mile horseshoe hike that starts at Elk Park and ends at Needleton. Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. Thats for water drainage, and maybe goats. I laughed and told him how I lost the trail before it headed up. 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. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. Elk Park to Needleton Backpack Loop 5,560 views Aug 5, 2008 9 Dislike Share Save Elizabeth Black 394 subscribers From the steam engine train we backpack for 6 days on a 40 mile loop out in. I missed the shortcut from Eldorado Lake to Hunchback pass , many years ago.Im headed there in 2 wks and hoping to find itAny suggestions, This time I will have a GPS when looking from Hunchback pass I was pretty sure I could see a trail to Eldorado Lake , but wasnt positive so I didnt give it a try. 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. 2/21/22 12:55pm. Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. 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 offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. 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. Miles Hiked 10.4 It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. We also packed an MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove to boil water for all our freeze-dried meals, our hand-pump espresso machine, and a lightweight hatchet multitool to help with campfires. I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! Hi Ryan, Thats definitely too early in the season. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. Elk Park Stop Elk Creek Trail This trail travels east from the railroad, climbing into the upper reaches of the Needle Mountains. We set our packs up on a rock ledge with rain covers on, hoping thats be enough to keep them dry. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. What a place for a cabin! Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. Great backpacking experience!! At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. This time, we were sure to be acclimated to the elevation. Hikers exchanged stories about their experiences in the Weminuche Wilderness and beyond to kill the time. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. 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. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. Any feedback appreciated. 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. Once I got a little closer to the drainage, I could see the water flowing through a narrow gorge carved into the rock. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. There were cairns here and there marking the way as well, which could be seen since the Twin Lakes. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon The only stop on the southbound trail in the afternoon is Elk Park. One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. One mine was fairly close to the trail, so we took a quick detour and had a look inside. After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. All in all, quite a bit of wildlife. The other guy was impressed with its small size. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Sad to see all the beetle damage. 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 brought along this Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. First, dont forget your sunglasses! Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map, Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove, Sea to Summit Thermolite sleeping bag liners, Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop (Silverton, CO), Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents, Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents. One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? Strider1. None of them seemed very dry though. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. We also brought along these touch-screen activewear gloves, Buffs to help protect us from sun (or keep our ears warm), silk thermals for a base layer, and a balaclava to keep warm at night. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! Miles Hiked 5.4 Actually, mid May. Did this route from July 28 to August 3. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. But there would be no sleeping in tomorrow morning though, because we were off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park! Cachanilla83. Getting down to the water and going through the process of purifying the water was a bit of a pain here, but I wanted to get it out of the way in case it started raining again. Leave a Comment. Absolutely stunning! I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. He sure did look delicious, haha. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. I got injured jumping off the bridge there, so we couldn't complete the hike north over hunchback pass, and down Elk creekwe were kinda bummed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. Any way to access this trail without riding the train? Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. 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 Very clear and interesting. 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. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. 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. However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. While the wilderness area has many access points, one of the best approaches is from the Durango & Silverton railroad stop of Elk Park, just outside of Silverton. After lunch, we continued to climb in elevation until we reached the Miners Cabin just below the CDT. 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. This was true for much of the trip. But we opted to take the train! The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. 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 . Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. I was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. We saw 3 hikers coming down Hunchback Pass earlier as we were going up, and didnt see anyone else today until we got about a mile from the Vallecito Creek Bridge. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. If we werent wet and hungry, I might have stopped to check it out further, but again, we were on a mission to find camp. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. Required fields are marked *. Finally, some views! 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. 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! Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. 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. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. 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. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. We headed down towards Kite, watching as the fog grew more and more around us. Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. There were only one or two campsites occupied here, and it would have been a nice place to stay the night if we didnt already have our trip planned out. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. Our most reliable digital map was from Garmin, within the Garmin Explore app on my phone. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Hello, solitude. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. 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. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. Thankfully, we never needed to press the SOS button, but I was thrilled with the functionality of the map and messaging features. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. When taking a train leaving from Durango, you need to be in your seat 30 minutes before departure. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Brandon why didnt you ask for Tiffanys number??? Lower elevations and farther south, definitely no snow and the spring melt off is going to be done by then. This entry was posted on August 29, 2013. If needed, when you reach the Vallecito and Johnson Creek trail junction, you could hike about 10 miles to the Vallecito Reservoir, a popular lake area. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. This was $90 each person for a round trip ticket, plus $10 to each to haul your backpack. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. 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. If youre doing the whole Elk Park to Needleton loop, take the Durango-Silverton diesel train north from Durango to Elk Park. It has been our group's favorite for several years. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. This was my first hike of more than five miles. We had a couple of long days and some short days with lots of time to relax. There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. Finally, it was time to start this hike. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. We saw very little traffic through our area where we camped, despite being right next to the trail. There were no beavers. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. My husband had an offline map downloaded in his Google Maps app, although we found it to be unreliable in the Vallecito Creek area. Thanks for sharing. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. 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. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about . Y0ou could really see just ow red it was with a little sunlight. I'll never forget it. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. I asked one of the train workers if we could sit in the covered carts even though we had tickets for the open cart, and he said sure, if theres a seat available. Your monthly pledge helps me bring you more quality hiking and outdoor adventure videos, trail guides and content. The ride is slow and sooty and other than the crying kids that overpopulated our car, the ride really was wonderful. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? I was happy we brought along puffer jackets and rain coats. 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. 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 . It was raining up here and quite cold. Route Chicago Basin to Needleton train stop. Instead of heading over to Sunlight, I decided to follow the drainage leading to Twin Lakes and explore that area. After taking some great photos near the lake, I started heading down. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. From above, I spotted a deer down below on the trail to Kite Lake. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. Soon enough it was back to the rain. View Profile The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. I did see a lot of goat hair stuck in the trees and bushes now, which we had not seen anywhere else yet along our hike. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. I just forwarded the link so he get get psyched up! Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. 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. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. The fire burned quite well once established, despite the soggy wood. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. This satellite powered device is able to track your location on a digital map, share your location with friends/family, send basic text messages, and (most importantly) it has an emergency SOS button to get help.