The ones that did look edible werent ripe yet. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. Patreon is a service that allows you to provide monthly financial support to your favorite content creators. Hiking The Elk Park/Needleton Loop Weminuche Wilderness Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. Hiking through Vallecito Basin on our way up Columbine Pass. Elk Park Stop Elk Creek Trail This trail travels east from the railroad, climbing into the upper reaches of the Needle Mountains. We just finished this trail. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall. Venchka. Wilderness access gives riders an opportunity to book with the intention of getting off the train and getting outdoors. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. By the time we were leaving the treeline behind, foul weather had returned. I figured more people would be out here doing the full loop like we were doing, but that clearly wasnt the case. Lisa made it up 15 minutes later, but we didnt stick around too long. 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. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. On the train, make sure to talk to the train staff! With no campfire, stars to gaze at, or any other reason to remain awake, we went to bed as the sun went down. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. Required fields are marked *. At columbine Lake, I dont think youd have an issue finding a suitable site. Youre hiking at high elevation in a very sunny spot, so protecting your eyes is important. - 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? Todays hike will take us the rest of the way up the Elk Creek drainage along the Colorado trail, where well hit the Continental Divide Trail, or CDT. Route Vallecito Creek Bridge to Chicago Basin. For details on the hike itself, see my post about the various trail segments. Was the extra research and time spent preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton trip worth it? Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Hiked from elk park to needleton 7/1/2022-7/4/2022. Mojave-Sonoran Trail (2021) Actually, mid May. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. 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. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. Although it was monsoon season during our trip, we were told that the coal cinders often start forest fires. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. They ran downhill and out of sight, and I kept moving. It moved away pretty quickly, but I could tell it was not a rattlesnake. From the bottom though, I couldnt tell where the switchbacks started. I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. I dont know which to trust, but it was a long day regardless. Were planning to do this trip in September 2022 and Ive got a couple of questions for you. Nice! 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. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. We passed many more campsites along the trail shortly after leaving our camp this morning. 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. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. After lunch, we continued to climb in elevation until we reached the Miners Cabin just below the CDT. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. 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. 18-21 September 2017. I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. My backpack did get burned by an ember though, so I was a little bummed about that, but it should be something I can patch up. Thats how I do it these days. As always, questions and comments are welcome! 1. False alarm. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. PS. Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. There were tons of waterfalls everywhere, many more than our hike in the Maroon Bells last year. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. It was nice to know that we had a day off of hiking coming up tomorrow, at least for Lisa anyways. I couldnt see the mountains behind me at all now, they were lost in the clouds. Complete Camper Van Build Parts & Materials Spreadsheet, Zion National Park Hiking Angels Landing & The Narrows, CDT Section Hike 2021 Never Summer Wilderness & Parkview Mountain, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 9: Quartzsite to Kofa, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 8: Bouse to Quartzsite, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 7: Lake Havasu to Bouse, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 6: Bullhead City to Lake Havasu, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 5: Searchlight to Bullhead City, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 4: Boulder City to Searchlight, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 3: Callville Bay to Boulder City, Mojave-Sonoran Trail Thru Hike 2021 Section 2: Echo Bay to Callville Bay, Las Vegas Review-Journal article on the Basin and Range Trail, Location Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest, CO, Park Type National Forest, Wilderness Area, Trail Type Semi loop Train drops you off and picks you up, Fires Allowed Yes (No fires in Chicago Basin or Needleton drainage). On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. Still a good ways from the pass, we pushed on as the rains started in their usual off and on fashion. Trees blocked most of the views. Had to climb over a hundred trees, no joke. At least we can enjoy a few hours of sunshine before the weather turns. This particular mine only ran about 30ft or so, and was not that interesting. Very useful. We saw very little traffic through our area where we camped, despite being right next to the trail. Y0ou could really see just ow red it was with a little sunlight. 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. Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. The best spot for camping was at Kite Lake, worth waking up to see the sunrise reflected on the lake. Some of the rocks were covered in ice making them extremely slippery too, so I had to be very careful once I neared the top. 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. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Moderate 4.6 (42) Weminuche Wilderness Photos (363) Directions Print/PDF map Length 37.5 miElevation gain 8,579 ftRoute type Point to point Head out on this 37.5-mile point-to-point trail near Silverton, Colorado. There were no beavers. 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. Elk Park to Needleton Backpacking Loop - Champagne Tastes 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. Excellent views all around. Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. Ran I to some bad weather that chased us out on the 2nd day but we saw a few moose on this trail. The clouds seemed to be chasing us up Hunchback Pass. Definitely recommend to bring waterproofs shoes and pants to be comfortable. It was about 1/3 the size of his sleeping pad, and as far as I know, is the lightest one on the market at 9.1 ounces. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. Share Followers 0. Very well done! Looking back, I wish I had checked it out. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. Eventually, I was able to scare them off pretty good by simply throwing my arms up in the air. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. Obviously I skipped this route on our way up here, opting to go the traditional way up the switchbacks to the CDT, but I was curious if it was doable. Lisa and I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half until the weather improved. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. Any way to access this trail without riding the train? 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. The Elk Park to Needleton backpacking loop near Silverton, Colorado, covers over 40 miles and features stunning mountain vistas. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. There was an insane amount of biting flies and mosquitoes by the river here though, and I was regretting my decision to leave the bug spray and mosquito head net behind. Seeing the fog rise from the mountains and engulf the peaks around us was incredible. From Twin Lakes, I made it back to my campsite in 35 minutes. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. The oldest cart on the train was built in 1879, and the oldest engine was from 1925 I believe. With about five minutes to go before arriving at Elk Park, one of conductors gather all of the backpackers and ask you to head to the front of the train. Needleton Bridge Trailhead // Colorado 13ers I knew I was going to punish them here and figured itd be best to give them any help they can get. Sunlight Peak via Needle Creek Trail | Map, Guide - Colorado | AllTrails By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. This will be especially helpful during creek crossings and on downhill areas with loose pebbles. This hike primary route. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Miles Hiked 10.4 Sultan Peak | Map, Guide - Silverton, CO | AllTrails See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. . Youll be hiking in a wilderness area. Youll encounter very rocky terrain (skip the zero drop / barefoot style boots on these trails your feet will be too sore!).
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