Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. It even had some rails leading in and out of it. There was a new amazing view after every turn. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. So far my knees have been doing great this hike, but an entire day going downhill worried me. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. 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. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. However, the clouds were building now and threatened to block the sun for the first time today. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. 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. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. Its easy to explore the Colorado wilderness from the Durango train. Keep a close eye on your belongings: these feisty critters can chew threw packs quickly. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. 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. Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. 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. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. We loved this trail and would highly recommend! Very useful. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. It was eerie and mesmerizing at the same time. Back, finally! We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. 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. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. Its most notable feature is a wye, built in 1884 to allow northbound trains to turn back when the canyons between Elk Park and Silverton, CO were blocked by winter avalanches. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. is to leave an itinerary with a responsible person back home, as well as a time and date when they should call for help if they dont hear from you. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Past that meadow, the trail begins to climb past the treeline. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. Fog billowed from distant peaks, and it was pretty dark around me as well now. 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. Highly recommend. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. Small amounts of debris from avalanche on the Needles creek trail but easy to navigate. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. There was a very brief moment of sunlight right as we crossed Red Rock Creek, which was nice to have at this moment. Today we slept in to 6am. On day four, we hiked along the 4wd road to Pole Creek and picked up our ride there. 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. My husband had an offline map downloaded in his Google Maps app, although we found it to be unreliable in the Vallecito Creek area. Any and all kinds of weather! One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. Todays hike will take us the rest of the way up the Elk Creek drainage along the Colorado trail, where well hit the Continental Divide Trail, or CDT. I hit the trail around 6:15 with full rain gear on. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. 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. The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. Venchka. The water is gorgeous. Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. I saw maybe 10 people on day 5, and probably about 60 on day 6. Also, bring a way to filter water. Basin and Range Trail (2020) Your email address will not be published. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. Elk Park to Needleton Loop, plus side trips including:-Vestal Basin . 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 train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. It was raining up here and quite cold. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. Excellent views all around. Highly recommend! Yes there is. At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. Thanks for the trip report, I had originally planned just on Chicago Basin but will now do the whole loop after seeing your report and talking to the forest service rangers. This time, we were sure to be acclimated to the elevation. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. My group did it in 5 days, but I would recommend giving yourself 6 or 7 so you aren't having to push yourself to get to the train on time. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. They can be a lifesaver on a long hike. Very nice trip report! We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. 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! Great backpacking experience!! There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. We made the decision to cut our trek short. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). - 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? Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. Down from the pass, we still had a good 10 miles to cover today. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. The ride is slow and sooty and other than the crying kids that overpopulated our car, the ride really was wonderful. Everything was still pretty wet from the rains overnight, and it was cold. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Miles Hiked 5.4 Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? 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. It resides at 8,277 feet of elevation in San Juan County. 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. El mejor momento para visitar esta . This is the beaver pond that people often reference when hiking this section of trail. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. We headed down towards Kite, watching as the fog grew more and more around us. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east from the Highway 550. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. (we were going from Needleton to Elk Park). What a place for a cabin! 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 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. Strider1. 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. Eventually, it became steeper, to the point where there were some moments of exposure. 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. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. I figured the total mileage for today would be about 14 miles, but everything after mile 4 or so would be downhill. After climbing about a third of the way up to the CDT, I hit a switchback, which I gladly used the rest of the way up. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. 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. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. I was a little nervous after getting dropped off at the trail via train and watching it ride away! A full train schedule is available on the Durango Train website. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. 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 Soul Rider. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. Campsite in Chicago Basin for nights 4 and 5. Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. Success! The Weminuche Loop is a classic 40-50 mile horseshoe hike that starts at Elk Park and ends at Needleton. The Elk Park to Needleton loop in the Weminuche Wilderness, to be precise. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. Anyways, with breakfast in our stomachs and all our wet gear packed away, we hit the trail around 7:30. 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. 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. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. Prepare to not have a cell signal. 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. There was another meadow a mile or so past our camp that would have been a nice place to spend the night. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. 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. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. Thats how I do it these days. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection. Subscribe to receive an emial notification when new content is added, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho Landscape Photography Canvas Prints, Seeking Lost Logo Shirt - Unisex Softstyle T-Shirt, Basin and Range Trail Planning Kit: Guidebook, GPX, Maps, Waypoints, Water Chart, Vanadinite Mineral Specimen (North Geronimo Mine, AZ), Wulfenite on Fluorite Mineral Specimen (Red Cloud Mine, AZ). After going up a series of switchbacks, I had reached the Twin Lakes by around 7:15. It also didnt hurt that we pampered ourselves a little afterwards with a leisurely day at Pagosa Springs. Bugs were pretty bad this year. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. So far, so good. After 6 days of hiking, we couldnt wait to get to the hotel. You write quite well. Would that be too early in the season? Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. Purgetory was the popular trailhead of choice for non-train riders. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. 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. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. By the time we were leaving the treeline behind, foul weather had returned.
Megan Stewart And Amy Harmon Missing,
Apple Cider Vinegar Histamine Intolerance,
Hmh Science Dimensions Cells And Heredity Answer Key,
Lasalle Bakery Cake Menu,
Articles E
