I decided to head downhill in a hurry. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. Route Elk CReek campsite to Eldorado Lake. Pack your food in a bear sling or bear canister. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Your email address will not be published. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. Basin and Range Trail (2020) It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? 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 . Apparently, they felt more threatened by that than the rocks whizzing by their heads. We just finished this trail. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. Required fields are marked *. with an Osprey water bladder. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. There was goat hair all around the campsite, but we had yet to see one. Any and all kinds of weather! We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! 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. Down from the pass, we still had a good 10 miles to cover today. Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery | Weminuche HD Video. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. 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. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. Bob Marshall. Another option (which you should probably do anyway!) Finally, the weather is cooperating! We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. Weminuche Loop - The JimmyJam Hiking Club Tips for Camping With Your Kids in Durango, Colorado. I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. Needleton, Colorado - Activities and Events | San Juan County Our total distance was about 42 miles. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. 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. A very convenient spot for an abandoned shack to be located. 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. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. Everyone in the shack jumped up immediately, rushing to put on boots and grab their gear as we rushed towards the tracks. Looking up, it looked very easy and straight forward. Thank you for taking the time to write it! He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. 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). Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The water tasted great and was very cold. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! Finally, it was time to start this hike. This time wasn't as bad as 1993, where my ancient A-frame tent blew down, but I'd suggest doing it in August for longer days and less rain. Once we reached a flat area around 11,650, there were a good amount of campsites scattered about. That is, of course, after hot meal and long hot shower! Sultan Peak | Map, Guide - Silverton, CO | AllTrails After taking some great photos near the lake, I started heading down. I couldnt really see Kite Lake well from the the CDT, but as I said earlier, my mind was pretty much set. Maybe, MAYBE in a low snow year but from what I can tell the west is getting quite a bit of powder this year so my guess would be July before the route is fully snow free. Elk Park to Needleton Backpack Loop - YouTube Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. For suggestions, see my guides to the best womens hiking boots and hiking gear for men. Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. Here are our top tips on preparing for a successful and safe loop from Elk Park to Needleton in the mountains of Colorado! I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Trees blocked most of the views. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. What a place for a cabin! The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. There are a lot of down trees and we had rain and some route finding to cross streams. I am really loving the granola & almonds, its chocked full of complex carbs and good fats, perfect for hiking. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. 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. Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. After setting up camp, I decided to go down to the creek to purify some water. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. Now through this little plateau area, the trail starts heaving down pretty quick. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! I'm a traveler who loves to eat. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. We use the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 quilt. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. We heard later that there was a porcupine in the area chewing on things, so it couldve been the culprit. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. 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. So far, so good. 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. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. After setting up the tent in light rain, I decided to take shelter in the tent as the rain continued. One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. 7 of the Best Summer Backpacking Trips in the Mountain West This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. 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. The Elk Park to Needleton loop in the Weminuche Wilderness, to be precise. Highly recommend. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. Nice! Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). Prepare to not have a cell signal. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. 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. There was a new amazing view after every turn. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. 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. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. Soul Rider. We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. You can board the train for wilderness access in Durango or Silverton. Parking for the train is available in Durango and Silverton. Closing loop Needleton - Elk park - Durango Forum - Tripadvisor we get old because we stop hiking" on the back. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! We had a lot of rain, starting everyday around 1 pm and lasting for a couple of hours. 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. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. Because of this we consider it to be a hard trail but the views were worth every single second. This was after 10 minutes of having rocks thrown at them. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. The best times to visit this trail are June through October. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. Our brakeman Sam was a wealth of knowledge about any kind of train-related questions we had. The Twin Lakes were still in the shadows, as the sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate it. By the time we were leaving the treeline behind, foul weather had returned. There was a lot of toilet paper and poop laying around near some of the campsites though, evidence of heavy usage. Every mountain we encountered was amazing! Highly recommend! Our most reliable digital map was from Garmin, within the Garmin Explore app on my phone. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. Vallecito Basin, which lies below Columbine pass, was pretty nice. 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. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. Down to Eldorado. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. While it did have some beautiful parts, Particularly at the top of the Continental Divide and Columbine Pass, I was disappointed by the avalanche debris in the first 6 miles and the lack of trail maintenance on the section below hunchback pass to the Vallecito Bridge. Heres an overview map of the Weminuche Wilderness, which includes trailhead locations. 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.