elk park train stop to needleton10 marca 2023
The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. The mountain goats I saw on the rocks earlier were in the same general spot on my way back. Miles Hiked 5.4 We followed Bear Creek down to the Rio Grande by following the 4wd road and used our sat phone to arrange for transportation to Silverton. 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. Not long after, we watched the same goats cross the creek and head towards our general area. It was the kind of terrain, like sand, that feels like you take one step back for every two steps forward. I couldnt resist the chance to whip out my Klymit Inertia X-Frame sleeping pad that I bought a few months back. My wife and I completed this hike in September of 2016 and loved it. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. At mile 4.25 or so, there were some nice camping spots in the meadow. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! 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. Looking back up the way I just came down from Windom Peak. On day three, we made our way up and over the Continental Divide and into the beautiful meadow just below Hunchback Pass. Apparently, they felt more threatened by that than the rocks whizzing by their heads. Depending on where you plan to board the train, plan ahead and determine which parking option meets your needs best. It seems that most people in Chicago Basin came from the Needleton stop, hiked here, and turned around and went back the way they came. It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. I'll never forget it. So much for being packed. 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Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. Our backpack would take us on a horseshoe loop from Elk. I like having dry gear! It was very quiet once the train left Elk Park. Save on outdoor activities, tours & rentals. Lisa was out roaming too, watching the many Ptarmigan birds in the area. I used to do that, but it gets expensive to print out those big maps all the time, especially for places I likely wont return to for years. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. 1. The nature back there is unbelievable. 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. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. It's mainly visited for hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into Chicago Basin. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. Very good tip report. After working so hard to get to the top, I couldnt justify turning around immediately. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. One of the things that makes this loop so special is that the trailheads can both be reached via the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railroad, a tourist train pulled by a steam locomotive that has been used in dozens of . Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. 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. I took it out of its stuff sack and unrolled it and the looks on their faces were just priceless. The weather was holding out all morning, shine shining and blue skies. 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. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. (we were going from Needleton to Elk Park). Since there are no fires allowed in Chicago Basin or the rest of the Needle Creek drainage, and the fact that I was planning on climbing in morning, we called it an early night and went to bed shortly after sundown. I knew the vegetation was still wet from last evenings rain, and didnt feel like being soaked to the bone if the trail happens to go through dense foliage. First week of June, the only people out there will probably be CDT thru hikers, and theyll be up against a lot of snow still. As the evening progressed, we saw several deer both near our camp and off in the distance. Soon enough it was back to the rain. This is when the fog really started growing. Other hikers trickled in to the area as time went on. They were finally able to scare the goats away for good by barking at them like a dog. For example, early access to youtube videos, stickers, t-shirt, behind the scenes info on my new thru hiking route creations, special thank you card and more! We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. 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. Lisa was quite scared here, and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to move. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. A very convenient spot for an abandoned shack to be located. Here comes my ride! There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. 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. See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. Venchka. Today was going to be almost all uphill, heading over Columbine Pass and down into Chicago Basin. The trail was much easier to hike than I was anticipating, and I was covering pretty good ground. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. Looking for a slightly larger backpacking pack that will still fit a short torso? There didnt appear to be any evidence of beavers here either. Making reservations to ride the train to the wilderness is easy. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. We made the decision to cut our trek short. San Juan National Forest. On day two, we encountered an even larger debris field between Beaver Pond and the ascent to the miner's shack. I have backpacked in the Weminuche three times, all in September, and each time we encountered some bad rainy weather. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. Miles Hiked 7.4 After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. People really are friendly in Colorado! I took advantage of the weather and took a ton of pictures up here. I found a semi dry spot under a pine tree to hang out during the rain while Lisa took cover in the tent. This page has a map of the Weminuche Wilderness near the top, with trails and trail heads. Avalanche debris was cleared. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Thats how I do it these days. We were exhausted by the time we reached the shack and decided to camp there for the night. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. Maybe, MAYBE in a low snow year but from what I can tell the west is getting quite a bit of powder this year so my guess would be July before the route is fully snow free. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. 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. The Durango-Silverton train offers a backpacker service from May to October, where they drop you off and pick you up at train stops which more or less correspond to the trailheads. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. 28 miles, a little over 8k' of elevation gain. Clothes and gear is now dry (mostly), and we wreaked of smoke. 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. Trees blocked most of the views. I hope your backpacking trip is just as epic as ours was. In addition to us, there was also a group of 2, 3, and 4 other hikers who also got off the train. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. It took us 7 days to complete it. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. We were thrilled when a ranger who had just cleared out the trail told us the three 12,000-foot passes on our route were free of snow. The Needleton stop also gives you access to the Needle Creek Trail, Johnson Creek Trail and the Chicago Basin. It has been our group's favorite for several years. The skies were grey to start the day, but gave way to some blue patches by mid morning. I guess thats good, because that was less people we saw on the other days. It was a little windy last night, which can make it hard to sleep. Id say we averaged about 4-5 bouts of rain per day. Food takes longer to cook at high altitudes. We estimated ~100 trees that we had to go over, under, or around - felt like a tough mudder. Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. It was only 11:45, so we had 3:45 to wait. 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. Awesome views all around, but it was still cold and precipitating out and thus my camera stayed under my rain jacket. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! Dark skies now approached from all sides, and there was even some lightning in the distance. It was raining up here and quite cold. It was pretty hot when the sun was shining, but it didnt shine too long. 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. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. Yes there is. . Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. Finally, it was time to start this hike. Most of our clothing was wet, including our backpacks and other gear, so we finally had a chance to dry them out some. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). The skies were pretty blue now and there was abundant sunshine. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). Caltopo is pretty awesome if you havent used it already. I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. It was almost comical how many people waved at us as the train chugged through town. Some pretty sections, but a bit disappointed overall. We saw deers, elk, mountain goat, beavers. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. There were a few more mines along the trail here, and one appeared to be deeper than the others we had explored. Lisa just made it up over the last rocky ridge on the CDT, giving way to views of Eldorado Lake. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am.