Would that be too early in the season? He discourses on his own mortality, about getting too old to have such adventures, and striking your own path in life while you still can." This hike primary route. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. I'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. 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. With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. Very nice trip report! From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. Lisa just made it up over the last rocky ridge on the CDT, giving way to views of Eldorado Lake. Breathtaking! 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. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. 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. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. 2/21/22 12:49pm. Down from the pass, we still had a good 10 miles to cover today. The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. Campsite in Chicago Basin for nights 4 and 5. Most were quick to check out the shack as we did, so the cinder block and wood plank benches filled up fast. Share Followers 0. There is no cover up here by Eldorado Lake, which sits well above the treeline at 12,300ft. I saw maybe 10 people on day 5, and probably about 60 on day 6. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. Seeking Lost: Thru-Hiking & Backpacking Adventures, Complete Weminuche Wilderness Photo Gallery, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 8 Day Rockhounding & Mineral Collecting in the Santa Teresa Mountains, AZ (Nov 2022), How Much Did It Cost?? Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. The rain sucked, but it sure did make you appreciate what little sunshine we did get. After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. Finally, it was time to start this hike. Next stop: Wilderness. We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. 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. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. There were more mountain goats in the evening as well. The Animas River. 2. 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. Our total distance was about 42 miles. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? Every mountain we encountered was amazing! Sometimes 2 to a flower. Length: 7.9 mi Est. Amherst and Organ mountains in the background. 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. Instead of heading over to Sunlight, I decided to follow the drainage leading to Twin Lakes and explore that area. Any feedback appreciated. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. While the wilderness area has many access points, one of the best approaches is from the Durango & Silverton railroad stop of Elk Park, just outside of Silverton. I hit the trail around 6:15 with full rain gear on. My breakfast today was a very hearty helping of granola and almonds (about 800 calories worth), and some dried strawberries. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. We saw deers, elk, mountain goat, beavers. Literally just yards below the top of the pass, on the Chicago Basin side, the trail gets extremely steep and pretty sketchy. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). 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. As another hiker had told me earlier today, there were a lot of rodent holes in this area, and I could see mice running around everywhere. 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. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. The first morning of a hike always takes the longest to get going. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. For shelter, we carried a backpacking tent, as well as a double sleeping pad, Sea to Summit Thermolite sleeping bag liners, and a compressible backpacking quilt. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. This was worth the trip alone and something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. One of the train employees told us a little about the history of the train and how things work. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. Enjoy the hike, its a good one! This was my first hike of more than five miles. Every campground, hotel, and intersection we passed, there were people waving at the train. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. Unlike Snowmass though, the trail here was more open and very well worn, and not much here to get me wet. Miles Hiked 7.4 This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. Highly recommend! There was a lot of toilet paper and poop laying around near some of the campsites though, evidence of heavy usage. Get around Durango in style with rental vehicles. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? I have done this one twice!! Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. It was well worn and looked much less difficult than I had imagined. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. The hiker who told me about the mice up here had camped here last night. This route includes 3 trails. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. It was the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. Our most reliable digital map was from Garmin, within the Garmin Explore app on my phone. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. Your email address will not be published. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Were planning to do this trip in September 2022 and Ive got a couple of questions for you. One option for a multi-day trip is from the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton. 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. Not cheap by any means, but it was a cool way to enter and leave the wilderness. 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. I like having dry gear! Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. I'll never forget it. Was the extra research and time spent preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton trip worth it? Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. It filtered a little more slowly than usual because we were at high elevation, but still worked well. We camped at ~9300 ft. Prepare to not have a cell signal. Copyright 2015-2023 Champagne TastesAll Rights Reserved. The altitude on this backpacking loop varies from around 8,000 to nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. Recommended Posts. Oh well. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. We stayed up a little later tonight due to the fire, and ended up going to bed around 11pm. We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! Wouldnt you know it, as soon as we got all the wood together, it started raining. View Profile 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. 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 watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 36 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Silverton, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. Im assuming forest service will clear this soon. Finally, some views! Hey Trey, Its been many years since I did this hike so pardon my memory here. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. 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. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. I was a little nervous after getting dropped off at the trail via train and watching it ride away! Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. I've begun planning my adventures for this summer, and while there will be a handful of overnighters and long weekends, I've settled on the Elk Park-Needleton Loop for my main trip. Yet another day we found ourselves traversing a pass in bad weather. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. 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. 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. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. Actually, mid May. Because of this we consider it to be a hard trail but the views were worth every single second. Yes there is. One guy stopped and said Whoa, what are you doing going up that? I was happy we brought along puffer jackets and rain coats. The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. False alarm. Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map, Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove, Sea to Summit Thermolite sleeping bag liners, Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop (Silverton, CO), Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents, Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. After lunch, the trail had gained enough elevation to start giving us some better views as it passed alongside some cliffs. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. There was goat hair all around the campsite, but we had yet to see one. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. 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. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Im interesting in making this same trip this year, and was wondering if you knew when the optimal season is? tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. I'm a traveler who loves to eat. . 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. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin.