elk park train stop to needleton

Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. Between the trailhead marker and train stop was actually private property with a few shacks, cabins, and homes built. Amazing views and pretty easy navigation (cant miss the trail). After staring me down for a minute, they decided to move in my direction. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. 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. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. 1. There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. The weather was once again threatening to rain as I made it to the top, finally sitting up on the CDT. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Hiking Route | Trailforks Black flies were a pain the whole week. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. Im considering doing this loop this summer and you have really helped! The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. It was extra sunny during the day, and there were thunderstorms most evenings. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). It was raining up here and quite cold. 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. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. At what point along your route could you hike out and call it quits (or hike out for help)? Back, finally! This was a class 3 in my opinion. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. 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. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. 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. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Cachanilla83. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). 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. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. Weminuche Wilderness, CO - Elk Park/Needleton Loop Hike 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. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. 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. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. Go figure, good weather on the last day. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. After about 20 minutes of hiking, I ran into my first mountain goats of the day. Your email address will not be published. However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. All we could do is move downhill as quickly as possible, and after descending another 1500 feet or so, all was well again. Also, A creek ran through the area and created an interesting looking gorge that I wish I had more time to check out, but we really wanted to get to camp right now. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. 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! Finally, the weather is cooperating! In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. 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. The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. Some hikers we met said that it sleeted on them one evening (when it had only rained on us). We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. Preparing for Elk Park to Needleton Loop - Champagne Tastes I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. This was our third trek on this trail. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. Bugs were pretty bad this year. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? We got to the train stop at noon and the train picked us up at 3pm. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. Parking in Durango is $8 per day for cars and $10 per day for RVs. Miles Hiked 5.4 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. 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. After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. PS. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. Also, bring a way to filter water. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. Thankfully, we never needed to press the SOS button, but I was thrilled with the functionality of the map and messaging features. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. Its easy to explore the Colorado wilderness from the Durango train. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a9fc6034fcd46f19ce6730fcccb725d8" );document.getElementById("b86db021e5").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi, I'm Sarah! On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. 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. We made the decision to cut our trek short. Never miss a new post! We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. Great hike! We were thrilled when a ranger who had just cleared out the trail told us the three 12,000-foot passes on our route were free of snow. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until September. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. I only followed the drainage a short ways, but another 100ft away it appeared to drop off. 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 . Top things to do in Durango, Colorado - Uncover Colorado Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton. 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. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. In fact, there wasnt a single cloud in sight now, just a beautiful deep blue sky in all directions. This hike is definitely a good one! 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. One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. Expect to see (or at least hear) marmots and pikas, as well as lots of chipmunks. Hello, solitude. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. Venchka. As always, questions and comments are welcome! The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. Im assuming forest service will clear this soon. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. They didnt seem to concerned with our presence though. There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. The people were yelling at them and throwing rocks to try and scare them away, but the goats were pretty stubborn. El mejor momento para visitar esta . The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. Where did you get the map? NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. Thank you for taking the time to write it! Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. 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. It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. The train showed up about 5-10 minutes late, but was a welcome sight nonetheless. We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. instead of the 7:30AM train which stopped at Needleton. This route includes 3 trails. Learn more about the wildlife in the area. Bob Marshall. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. The ride is slow and sooty and other than the crying kids that overpopulated our car, the ride really was wonderful. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Length: 7.9 mi Est. Had never seen so many mountains (we're from OK). The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. More mountain goats as I leave the Twins Lake area. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. Soon enough, wed be overtaken by the unavoidable fog. Farther downstream revealed a tall but tiny waterfall before the land leveled out near the lake. 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. Our total distance was about 42 miles. Your email address will not be published. You ride the Durango/Silverton Steam Train and it drops you off. They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. 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. 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. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. So far, so good. 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. 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. The water was deep and fast flowing here. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! In summer, you may want to bring along a bug net to fit over your hat to protect yourself from mosquitoes, gnats and black flies. I was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. 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. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. We saw very little traffic through our area where we camped, despite being right next to the trail. I chucked some rocks and shouted at them, but theyd just walk 5 feet away and stare back at us. Chicago Basin area was very pretty, and not too crowded with tents. Prepare to not have a cell signal. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Our dehydrated meals said they were tested at 5,000-foot elevation, and to double the cook time for every additional 5,000 feet. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. Elk Park flag stop to Needleton flag stop between Durango and Silverton 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. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. Swampy, muddy areas where your foot sinks ankle deep in mud are also likely, as well as multiple creek crossings.

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