Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. For that reason, a small cart follows the train to check for any fires started by the train alongside the tracks. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. 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. The train ride out of Durango and through the Rockwood Cut was quite enjoyable. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Your monthly pledge helps me bring you more quality hiking and outdoor adventure videos, trail guides and content. One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. Cant wait to try this trip myself! If I recall correctly we did it in 6 nights. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. If youre doing the whole Elk Park to Needleton loop, take the Durango-Silverton diesel train north from Durango to Elk Park. I learned this the hard way when hiking around Snowmass Lake last year. Get around Durango in style with rental vehicles. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. Everything was wet, including my feet. Never miss a new post! 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. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. Elk Park-Needleton Loop. San Juan National Forest. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. Thats why, if you come from a lower elevation like us, I recommend easing yourself into it while youre preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike! Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. We did not have gloves (other than one pair of fingerless gloves I use when gathering/breaking firewood and climbing), so our hands were getting a little numb. I didnt rain much though. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. 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. In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. Given the popularity of Kite Lake, being right next to a 44 road just outside of the wilderness boundary, I pretty much had my mind set on Eldorado. 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. 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. 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. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). It resides at 8,277 feet of elevation in San Juan County. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. The train moves very slow, around 18 MPH max speed. The water was deep and fast flowing here. With about five minutes to go before arriving at Elk Park, one of conductors gather all of the backpackers and ask you to head to the front of the train. Oregon Desert Trail (2022) *Coming Soon 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. So, they suggested to take train from Needleton to Silverton, wait for 1.5h and then return back to Elk Park for the price of full ticket Durango-Silverton . The skies were cloudy all around us though. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. I figured the total mileage for today would be about 14 miles, but everything after mile 4 or so would be downhill. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. Elk Park/Needleton Loop, Colorado. Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. 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. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. Great backpacking experience!! Not this time though! At 2:45, we heard a train approaching that sounded its whistle. We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. Youre hiking at high elevation in a very sunny spot, so protecting your eyes is important. Wed been in Colorado a week now, doing other cool stuff like the Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Denver & Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park, Telluride, etc. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). Great hope they dont cause us any trouble tonight. 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. So far, so good. Breathtaking! Black flies were a pain the whole week. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. 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. 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. The rocks were still icy and required some careful footwork in some spots to negotiate. You take a train from Durango that. This was my first hike of more than five miles. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. A hiking boot is preferable. Finally, with any backpacking trip, you should look for an emergency out. Clearly has not been maintained for a few seasons. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. We camped at ~9300 ft. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. Thanks for sharing this one. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. I guess thats good, because that was less people we saw on the other days. 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. 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 Lisa was still far below me, and the other hikers told her to hike directly to her right a ways until she hit the switchbacks, as they had a clear view from above us. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. Dogs are welcome and may be off-lead in some areas. At 36 miles in length, this trip would likely span four or five days for average hikers, and it offers the unique ability to ride the Durango-Silverton train to access the trail. 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 were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. 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. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. You could see burnt trees the entire train ride, so I guess its a pretty real threat. Amherst and Organ mountains in the background. We saw deers, elk, mountain goat, beavers. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. Miles Hiked 7.4 Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. Great hike! 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. I used to do that, but it gets expensive to print out those big maps all the time, especially for places I likely wont return to for years. Browse different rides & seasonal events. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. Nine miles long, the route climbs 3,760 feet to the Continental Divide. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. Before reaching the trails down to Kite/Eldorado Lakes, we had to hike over a 100ft rocky ridge, just as the clouds looked their worst. False alarm. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. I hit the trail around 6:15 with full rain gear on. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. Farther downstream revealed a tall but tiny waterfall before the land leveled out near the lake. There were a bunch of waterfalls along Needle Creek though. I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). Here are our top tips on preparing for a successful and safe loop from Elk Park to Needleton in the mountains of Colorado! Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Hikers exchanged stories about their experiences in the Weminuche Wilderness and beyond to kill the time. The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. It looked like a nice spot, close to the water, but the views werent excellent. Today we slept in to 6am. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. 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! They didnt seem to concerned with our presence though. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Venchka. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! Next I found myself on the saddle below the approach to Windom Peak. PS. I like having dry gear! Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. Two friends of mine and I did this backpack in 1995. The weather started clearing up after about mile 4. I was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. At columbine Lake, I dont think youd have an issue finding a suitable site. The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east from the Highway 550. As we gained elevation, the Animas River became more and more impressive. This was true for much of the trip. There were cairns here and there marking the way as well, which could be seen since the Twin Lakes. I would have taken more pictures, but I didnt want my camera to get wet. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. This looks more like some of the pictures Id seen of the San Juans before our trip. I proceeded downhill now alongside the edge of this. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? Patreon is a service that allows you to provide monthly financial support to your favorite content creators. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. 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. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. 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. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. 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. The altitude on this backpacking loop varies from around 8,000 to nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. We may earn a commission when you use one of our links to make a purchase. After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. 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. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. 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. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. They ran downhill and out of sight, and I kept moving. Yes there is. 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. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. However, after the first couple of miles and adjusting to altitude, I love it! I wasnt sore at all until day 4 or 5, with only moderate soreness in the hamstrings. There was goat hair all around the campsite, but we had yet to see one. I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. It was a dream and once in a lifetime trip! There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. Here, theres a good view of Vestal Peak. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. Our trek group of 6 - ages ranging from 17 to 64 years. We met others that were completing this 36-40 mile trip as we were walking into the wilderness from Needleton. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. 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. Required fields are marked *. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. We used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter. I'll never forget it. Very well done! After about 20 minutes of hiking, I ran into my first mountain goats of the day. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. It was quite a sight to see, unlike anything Ive ever witnessed before. 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. Its easy to explore the Colorado wilderness from the Durango train. Caltopo is pretty awesome if you havent used it already. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. Route Eldorado Lake to Vallecito Creek Bridge. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker. Small amounts of debris from avalanche on the Needles creek trail but easy to navigate. Any way to access this trail without riding the train? The on and off rain was definitely a bummer though. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. Whitewater rafting with professional guides.
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