Awesome, thanks! What a morale booster it was. It worked perfectly. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. drops you off in the middle of the wilderness (no car access) and do a loop that is absolutely beautiful. Every campground, hotel, and intersection we passed, there were people waving at the train. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. Our stop is Elk Park, a 3 hour ride from Durango. The trail wasnt too steep most of the way up this morning. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. Hikers exchanged stories about their experiences in the Weminuche Wilderness and beyond to kill the time. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. 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 chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. Back, finally! Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. 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. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. 5h 16m. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. False alarm. In good weather it should not be a problem. After about an hour of rain, thunder and lightning, I gave up on the idea of a fire. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Even though I initially didnt want to build a fire, I was really glad to have it going now. I watched the bolts of lightning in the distance for a while before going to bed. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. It was eerie and mesmerizing at the same time. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. 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 was very surprised that there were no seats available, the train was pretty packed. Absolutely stunning! 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. 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. If I recall correctly we did it in 6 nights. 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. But we opted to take the train! We ended up finishing around 5pm on the 5th day, so instead of waiting around for the return train to Durango on day 6, we took the train to Silverton for lunch, then rode the whole return trip to Durango. 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. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. Continental Divide Trail (2018), "His breathing is measured as he narrates his journey, describing the personal allure of the great outdoors, the difference between mere hobby and real passion. There are national and state parks nearby where you can push your limits on some shorter trails first. The train ride out of Durango and through the Rockwood Cut was quite enjoyable. You then pass over the continental divide twice and the train picks you back up. Very useful. Elk Park is a wide spot in the Animas River canyon located at milepost 490.5 on the Silverton Branch of the San Juan Extension. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. I hope your backpacking trip is just as epic as ours was. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. The train gives outdoors lovers immediate access to the Weminuche Wilderness and San Juan National Forest for hiking, backpacking, rafting, fishing and other activities. You could see burnt trees the entire train ride, so I guess its a pretty real threat. At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. Por lo general, se considera una ruta moderada, que se tarda una media de 20 h 5 min en recorrer. On day four, we hiked along the 4wd road to Pole Creek and picked up our ride there. 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. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. This will give you time to make it to your seats before the final boarding call. 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 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. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. 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. These odor proof bags have never let me down, and with all the rodents around, it was going to be a real test tonight. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. 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 The fourth day we hiked from Chicago basin to the needleton train stop, which was an easy ~7 miles downhill. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). 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. Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. Excellent trip report, thanks for doing this. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. All in all, quite a bit of wildlife. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. This was my first hike of more than five miles. I didnt want to push Lisa too much in the first few days so I think the plan for days 1 and 2 were pretty good. I decided to head downhill in a hurry. Or the Osprey Eja 58 pack I preferred the Airspeed suspension system on it. My wife and I completed this hike in September of 2016 and loved it. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. They didnt seem to concerned with our presence though. Either way, it was going to be another short day with only about 6 miles to cover. We just finished this trail. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. This cabin would be a good place to wait out a storm, but its not suitable as an overnight shelter due to its condition. More jokes were cracked to the effect of mines smaller than yours and isnt it usually the other way around?. 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! 18-21 September 2017. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. I hit the trail around 6:15 with full rain gear on. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. Looking for a 40-60 mile, week trip. Never miss a new post! I had no way of keeping my gear out of the reach of the rodents. Any way to access this trail without riding the train? See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. There was another group who did this, and the train staff didn't seem to have any problem with it (we had paid for a RT ticket anyway). When taking a train leaving from Durango, you need to be in your seat 30 minutes before departure. Browse different rides & seasonal events. At that point, one of our trek members sustained a significant ankle injury. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. They can be a lifesaver on a long hike. This hike is definitely a good one! Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Elk Park to Needleton Backpack Loop 5,560 views Aug 5, 2008 9 Dislike Share Save Elizabeth Black 394 subscribers From the steam engine train we backpack for 6 days on a 40 mile loop out in. View Profile Dogs are also able to. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. 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. Your email address will not be published. My knees were holding up very well so far this trip and I figured, why not? Thank you for taking the time to write it! The first morning of a hike always takes the longest to get going. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun.
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