elk park train stop to needleton elk park train stop to needleton

Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Thank you so much for your detailed description! Miles Hiked 14.5 Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. Mojave-Sonoran Trail (2021) The Elk Park to Needleton loop in the Weminuche Wilderness, to be precise. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. 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 Highly recommend. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. Your monthly pledge helps me bring you more quality hiking and outdoor adventure videos, trail guides and content. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Finally below the clouds after descending Hunchback Pass, These deer practically walked right up to us while we ate lunch. The nature back there is unbelievable. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. Black flies were a pain the whole week. At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). Nine miles long, the route climbs 3,760 feet to the Continental Divide. Go figure, good weather on the last day. Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! This was a pizza by the slice kind of place, and the slices were enormous! we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. At least we had somewhere to sit now, that was nice. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about . At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. 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. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. The ride is slow and sooty and other than the crying kids that overpopulated our car, the ride really was wonderful. Very nice trip report! Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. 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. 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. I can use train but according to DSNGRR schedule, their trains stops EITHER in Needlton OR in Elk Park, but not in BOTH. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. However, the clouds were building now and threatened to block the sun for the first time today. There were many stream crossings and several large waterfalls that we passed, but due to the weather and number of miles we had to cover, we didnt spend any time checking most of them out. There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. Im considering doing this loop this summer and you have really helped! Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. 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. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. We just finished this trail. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. More mountain goats as I leave the Twins Lake area. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. This was after 10 minutes of having rocks thrown at them. It was about 1/3 the size of his sleeping pad, and as far as I know, is the lightest one on the market at 9.1 ounces. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. 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. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. 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. Try this 60.4-km point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. I was following a GPX track on my GPS of another person who had hiked this loop, and his track led me off trail a little bit. 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. It was incredible to see the clouds taking over the area! Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). Train ride through the beautiful San Juan mountains on the way to our drop off point at Elk Park. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. Here comes my ride! After driving around town, we realized that there was zero parking available anywhere. I didnt want to push Lisa too much in the first few days so I think the plan for days 1 and 2 were pretty good. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. 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. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. 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. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. I guess thats good, because that was less people we saw on the other days. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. This was our third trek on this trail. We were able to cross the creek by hopping rocks and logs, just as we were able to with every other stream crossing on this trip. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! 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. Recent avalanche activity over the winter/spring created several debris fields that required us to do some significant trailblazing. No hot dogs tonight, maybe night 3. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. 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. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. Some hikers we met said that it sleeted on them one evening (when it had only rained on us). Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. Required fields are marked *. In fact, there wasnt a single cloud in sight now, just a beautiful deep blue sky in all directions. It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. They didnt seem afraid of humans at all. But we opted to take the train! The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. When we visited in September, the days were hot and the nights were cold. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? 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. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. There were many campsites to choose from in the area near the Vallecito Creek Bridge. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. Have a good hike! After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. 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. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! Whitewater rafting with professional guides. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. 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. A hiking boot is preferable. 18-21 September 2017. It is a fairly difficult hike, but not one that isn't doable. He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. We saw very little traffic through our area where we camped, despite being right next to the trail. 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. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. 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. 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. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. Lots of flowers, waterfalls, and views. Elk Park-Needleton Loop. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Definitely recommend to bring waterproofs shoes and pants to be comfortable. About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. 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 highly recommend it. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. This was perfect! Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. My husband had an offline map downloaded in his Google Maps app, although we found it to be unreliable in the Vallecito Creek area. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. 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. 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 . The water was deep and fast flowing here. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. Your email address will not be published. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. We didn't. Windward_Coug. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. 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. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Farther downstream revealed a tall but tiny waterfall before the land leveled out near the lake. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. Yes there is. 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. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. Success! The altitude will affect water filters and food cook time, which is usually explained on the packaging. Weminuche Wilderness Trails - Durango Trails If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. 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. So far, so good. I learned this the hard way when hiking around Snowmass Lake last year. Elk Park to Needleton Backpack Loop - YouTube The water in Elk Creek was super clear, so I didnt have to pre-filter any of it before using my Steri-Pen Opti UV water purifier. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. Ride the train to a day of ziplining on the longest course in the US. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Lisa was out roaming too, watching the many Ptarmigan birds in the area. 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. Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. Very well done! We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. Actually, mid May. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. It was raining up here and quite cold. Straddling sections of the infamous Continental . Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! There were tons of waterfalls everywhere, many more than our hike in the Maroon Bells last year. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? Seating is only guaranteed if you book a seat in advance. 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. But, thats another story for another trip report. There were tons of mines dotting the mountainside, some of which looked pretty difficult to get to. Your email address will not be published. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. 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! Sunlight Peak via Needle Creek Trail | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. 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. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! I couldnt really see Kite Lake well from the the CDT, but as I said earlier, my mind was pretty much set. Dogs are welcome and may be off-lead in some areas. Closing loop Needleton - Elk park - Durango Forum - Tripadvisor There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. The rain sucked, but it sure did make you appreciate what little sunshine we did get. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. Although it was monsoon season during our trip, we were told that the coal cinders often start forest fires. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? Weminuche Wilderness in southern Colorado. You take a train from I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop - Champagne Tastes Where the lake began to drain out down the mountainside, there were remnants of an old dam here. Once on board, you'll be able to ride back to Durango or Silverton to finish your adventure.