Looking back up the way I just came down from Windom Peak. For some reason, the mileage the GPS reports to me in the field is always more than the mileage it gives me at home when I am reviewing the final data. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. The water was deep and fast flowing here. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. After going up a series of switchbacks, I had reached the Twin Lakes by around 7:15. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. Or are there other routes you could r commend for some stream and lake fishing? At Twin Lakes, the terrain is a bit less hospitable, and fewer campsite options with all the rocks and stuff. The trial follows the 44 road by Kite Lake. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. Y0ou could really see just ow red it was with a little sunlight. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You can download the GPX file here: http://metalbackpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/gpx/WeminucheRouteHiked.gpx. The cinders get in your eyes too, and they recommend that you wear sunglasses as a form of protection. This was a class 3 in my opinion. The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. Before you head out into the wilderness, make sure you know where youre going! Continental Divide Trail At the Divide, the trail connects with the Continental Divide Trail. The map in my trip report is generated from a wordpress plugin, where I uploaded my GPX file of the hike. The nature back there is unbelievable. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! Parking for the train is available in Durango and Silverton. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. Start your next Durango outdoor adventure from the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Clothes and gear is now dry (mostly), and we wreaked of smoke. We recommend it as long as you are ready to stay 7 days in the backcountry! 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 updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. Were planning to do this trip in September 2022 and Ive got a couple of questions for you. The Elk Park stop gives you access to the Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Vallecito Creek Trail. 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. Your email address will not be published. For details on the hike itself, see my post about the various trail segments. Miles: 45 Days: 6-8 Difficulty: Strenuous. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Especially considering the status of cell phone service (which well discuss below). I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Parking in Durango is $8 per day for cars and $10 per day for RVs. We returned back to the shack for a while, but decided to wait at the track 15 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival. Hail/freezing rain/snow was falling, and it was Hunchback Pass all over again, with a little better visibility. There were a few pockets of snow tucked away here and there, but nothing too large. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. It resides at 8,277 feet of elevation in San Juan County. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. 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. Also, bring a way to filter water. Sad to see all the beetle damage. Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. Very well done! On day one, between the Elk Park Train Drop Off Trail Head and Beaver Pond, we encountered 3 large debris fields. We stopped to eat lunch on a talus slope and observed many pikas, no marmots yet though. 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. Here comes my ride! 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. Getting down to the water and going through the process of purifying the water was a bit of a pain here, but I wanted to get it out of the way in case it started raining again. Swampy, muddy areas where your foot sinks ankle deep in mud are also likely, as well as multiple creek crossings. I still panned on climbing Windom and maybe Sunlight. The food issue didnt bother me much, I was mainly worried about the rodents chewing on our sweaty gear. The trail follows Elk Creek, and I believe it was called the Elk Creek Trail. If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. It was the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. We hiked from the Elk Park train stop to Needleton, which includes about 43 miles of hiking in the San Juan mountains. I meandered around the lake a while and snapped some pictures before heading back to camp. Before we knew it, we saw the Weminuche Wilderness boundary sign. Route Eldorado Lake to Vallecito Creek Bridge. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. Every mountain we encountered was amazing! I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. NOTE: As of 2021, we have been informed that you cannot board the train in Silverton and get dropped off at Needleton. Soon enough it was back to the rain. I proceeded downhill now alongside the edge of this. Looking down on Columbine Lake near the top of Columbine Pass. . The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. Go figure, good weather on the last day. It was one of our Black Diamond Alpine carbon trekking poles, which was extra sad. Finally below the clouds after descending Hunchback Pass, These deer practically walked right up to us while we ate lunch. Here are our top tips on preparing for a successful and safe loop from Elk Park to Needleton in the mountains of Colorado! Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). None of them seemed very dry though. From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. Shortly after Elk Park along the Colorado Trail, also called the Elk Park trail for this section. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. Where did you get the map? As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. The Twin Lakes were still in the shadows, as the sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate it. But there would be no sleeping in tomorrow morning though, because we were off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park! We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. Things open up a bit after this pond and there are some meadows to camp in if you were so inclined. There were many campsites to choose from in the area near the Vallecito Creek Bridge. The rain subsided and we dipped below the clouds into a new valley. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. The low clouds were back, engulfing Mount Kennedy southwest of us. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. Oh well. - John Glionna, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail, Watch Pioneering Nevada's Basin and Range Trail on other Streaming Services: Tubi, Xumo, Telus and Filmocracy, Like what you see? The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. 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. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. Because of this we consider it to be a hard trail but the views were worth every single second. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Route Elk CReek campsite to Eldorado Lake. My breakfast today was a very hearty helping of granola and almonds (about 800 calories worth), and some dried strawberries. Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. We also packed an MSR PocketRocket Deluxe backpacking stove to boil water for all our freeze-dried meals, our hand-pump espresso machine, and a lightweight hatchet multitool to help with campfires.
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