There were 2 large pines growing 3 feet apart, creating a dry spot large enough for our tent, all out gear, places to sit, and more. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. Learn more about this exciting opportunity for outdoor recreation youll find only in Durango. The water tasted great and was very cold. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. It was filed under Backpacking Trip Reports and was tagged with backpacking trip report, cdt, chicago basin, colorado backpacking, colorado hikes, colorado photography, colorado summer hikes, colorado trail, continental divide, durango train, eldorado lake, elk park needleton, hiking 2013, loop hike, mountain photography, multi day hikes, san juan, san juan mountains, san juan national forest, weeklong loop hike, weminuche wilderness, windom peak. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. We didn't. Windward_Coug. 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 sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. 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! Elk Park Stop Elk Creek Trail This trail travels east from the railroad, climbing into the upper reaches of the Needle Mountains. Sad to see all the beetle damage. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton is a 37 mile less popular intermediate route located near Silverton Colorado. Columbine Lake Trail #509 in San Juan National Forest is a difficult and steep trail with 16 discernible switchbacks but it's worth the effort. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. The Twin Lakes were still in the shadows, as the sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate it. Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. Discover this 6.9-mile out-and-back trail near Silverton, Colorado. I climbed up to the top of this ridge for some truly amazing views of the Weminuche Wilderness, Beautiful views of Eldorado Lake during the best weather of the afternoon, Awesome views from an unnamed high point above Eldorado Lake. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. Weve also been testing this Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45 + 5 pack and love it. Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. We were on the trail at 7:30, and saw a few more goats as we made our way out of Chicago Basin. 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. Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. 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. This was comical, yet useful information at the same time. There was only one truck by Kite Lake, and we saw no people. That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! Miles Hiked 10.4 There were only one or two campsites occupied here, and it would have been a nice place to stay the night if we didnt already have our trip planned out. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. 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 just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. There was a new amazing view after every turn. 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 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. Nice! Share Followers 0. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. 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. After all, it was Saturday evening. See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Ride the train to a day of ziplining on the longest course in the US. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. Coming down Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin? We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. Thanks for sharing. 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. This seemed pretty pointless though, because we just stood around until about 7:50. 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 One slice was probably between the size of a small and medium pizza at most places, but it was extremely thin. But, thats another story for another trip report. Other hikers trickled in to the area as time went on. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. Theres also a Deuter backpacking pack thats a standard size, if youre taller than I am! Miles Hiked 14.5 Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! Not this time though! Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. Coming down from hunchback pass we had to climb over or around several (and I mean several) trees that were across the path. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. 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. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. Looking up, it looked very easy and straight forward. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! However, if you can afford it, the train ride is fun, and it sure is nice once you reach Elk Park and realize you don't have to make that 1,700' climb back up to Molas Pass. Once past the tricky part near the top of the pass, it was your general steep descent via switchbacks. Most were quick to check out the shack as we did, so the cinder block and wood plank benches filled up fast. 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. 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. Overall a pretty remote and isolated trail with beautiful scenery, clean water everywhere and pristine nature. This route includes 3 trails. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. Physically, I did pretty well on this hike. Brandon why didnt you ask for Tiffanys number??? We spend a good while collecting firewood, but as wet as it was, it was a bit of a challenge. When taking a train leaving from Durango, you need to be in your seat 30 minutes before departure. I always recommend carrying a waterproof paper trail map on a hike (because even if you have a digital map, sometimes technology fails). Learn more about the wildlife in the area. On day one, between the Elk Park Train Drop Off Trail Head and Beaver Pond, we encountered 3 large debris fields. Some hikers we met said that it sleeted on them one evening (when it had only rained on us). Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. 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. All in all beautiful scenery and a great hike. I decided to take pictures of the lake later and just head up Windom now. 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 . We snacked on sour patch kids by the fire for a while before letting it burn out. The first morning of a hike always takes the longest to get going. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. However, to hike this trail as I did, you will need to secure a train reservation through the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. I'm a traveler who loves to eat. We met others that were completing this 36-40 mile trip as we were walking into the wilderness from Needleton. I forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin probably were the highlights of the trip -- incredibly high and scenic alpine country. I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. Was the extra research and time spent preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton trip worth it? It was a dream and once in a lifetime trip! The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? There was goat hair all around the campsite, but we had yet to see one. I didnt rain much though. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. . Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. I'll never forget it. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. In the morning, I headed down to the railroad, and caught the train to Silverton, then rode back to Durango. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. This was already painting a picture of what Chicago Basin might be like tomorrow, as it is supposed to be the most heavily used area in the Weminuche Wilderness. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Since we paid for parking at the railroad, we drove back there and parked while we set out on foot once gain. Dogs are also able to. 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 I decided to head downhill in a hurry. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! He sure did look delicious, haha. The best times to visit this trail are May through September. This is a spectacular trip with abundant scenery and lots of solitude. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. Swampy, muddy areas where your foot sinks ankle deep in mud are also likely, as well as multiple creek crossings. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. Required fields are marked *. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. Bugs were pretty bad this year. What a morale booster it was. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!). Finally, the weather is cooperating! After taking some great photos near the lake, I started heading down. 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. I do regret getting the open-cart seats though, because it was raining and it was not dry inside. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. After leaving Chicago Basin, the trail was actually kind of boring compared to the rest of our hike. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. Going down always looks much harder! My breakfast today was a very hearty helping of granola and almonds (about 800 calories worth), and some dried strawberries. 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. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. Cell service is highly unlikely. Awesome, thanks! I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. 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. We didnt take the train so we started at Molas Lake and walked to Needlestop. Lisa was out roaming too, watching the many Ptarmigan birds in the area. I am going in Aug 2017 and want to make sure to get a good map. 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.
Indocement Bumn Atau Bukan, Solitaire Stent Mri Safety, Kingdom Come Nest Of Vipers Poison Location, Draft Horse Pulling Competition, Can I Cash A Payable Order At The Post Office, Articles E