The water was deep and fast flowing here. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. The free version of caltopo only allows 5 pages max in your pdf, so just break it up into blocks of 5 pages or less and print out the entire map that way. I was mainly happy to dry out my boots. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. As the sun went down, the goats headed back up the mountainside for the evening. The plan was to camp at either Kite Lake or Eldorado Lake, whichever looked more appealing. Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. After lunch, we continued to climb in elevation until we reached the Miners Cabin just below the CDT. Great hike! About a half hour later we arrived at the bridge, and it was a welcome sight. Lots of people in the Chicago Basin, no one in the Johnson creek or Vallecito creek area. Go figure, good weather on the last day. But if you need an even warmer quilt, weve heard very good things about the quilts from Enlightened Equipment. Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Parking is available at the Silverton Depot at no charge. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). Subscribe to receive an emial notification when new content is added, Sawtooth Mountains Idaho Landscape Photography Canvas Prints, Seeking Lost Logo Shirt - Unisex Softstyle T-Shirt, Basin and Range Trail Planning Kit: Guidebook, GPX, Maps, Waypoints, Water Chart, Vanadinite Mineral Specimen (North Geronimo Mine, AZ), Wulfenite on Fluorite Mineral Specimen (Red Cloud Mine, AZ). Almost immediately, it began to rain a little. Elk Park-Needleton Loop. Learn more about the wildlife in the area. You can use this file with your GPS unit, or load it in caltopo.com (or your favorite mapping website or application). Cant wait to try this trip myself! It was around 1:45pm when we rolled into camp today. 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. This was a pizza by the slice kind of place, and the slices were enormous! First, dont forget your sunglasses! When youre in the Chicago Basin, watch for mountain goats! The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. Please be aware that reservations can only be made from Durango and Silverton originations. You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. 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. Heres what we learned while preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton hike, plus a few things I wish Id known ahead of time! Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 h 6 min to complete. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Our food and gear were safe from the mice last night, so that was a relief. It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. Ill send this to your email as well. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. Basin and Range Trail (2020) The second day we did ~13 miles which included two peaks with kite lake in between. Yes, either hiking boots or hiking shoes are a very good idea on these trails. That's $100 bucks round-trip for a train ticket! See the beauty of the San Juans on a guided tour. I am going in Aug 2017 and want to make sure to get a good map. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. The rain subsided and we dipped below the clouds into a new valley. On the trail by 7am today, we headed up to the CDT once again. 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 forced myself to get out of the tent and go explore the area. When taking a train leaving from Durango, you need to be in your seat 30 minutes before departure. Any and all kinds of weather! The trail flattens out at the basin below Columbine Lake and once you arrive you're in for a real treat. Many jokes were cracked regarding the stench of ones self or others in their group. I recommend bringing a trekking pole to help support and steady yourself on the trail. I hope your backpacking trip is just as epic as ours was. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. As of the 2013 season, a round-trip ticket is $90.10 + $10.00 for your pack. Although it was monsoon season during our trip, we were told that the coal cinders often start forest fires. I wonder how they get to their homes, since there are no roads anywhere near here. Are there fishing opportunities along this route? 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. We settled for this spot and set up camp by 4pm or so. Required fields are marked *. 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. 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. I was happy we brought along puffer jackets and rain coats. Whitewater trips for more experienced adventurers. The San Juan mountains are notorious for being snowy and the best time is probably mid July to Mid September. He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. Thanks for sharing this one. We brought along this Weminuche Wilderness National Geographic map. We did the Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Loop which was 36 miles. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. Its most notable feature is a wye, built in 1884 to allow northbound trains to turn back when the canyons between Elk Park and Silverton, CO were blocked by winter avalanches. Most of the avalanche debris on Elk Creek/CT has now been cleared, and what is left is fairly easy to navigate. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. I was awestruck with the beauty of those mountains. The pictures dont even come close to being there first hand. There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. My boots were the driest theyd been since day 1, and I really didnt want to get stuck in rain today. Purgetory was the popular trailhead of choice for non-train riders. Every mountain we encountered was amazing! We saw several deer and prairie dogs before getting into the mountains. After being in the rain all week, we were still getting rained on during the train ride back. We knew that the odds were pretty good that goats would wander near us too, eventually. 09-23-2015, 12:45 #12. Any feedback appreciated. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Highly recommend. 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. Of course, this is contingent on cooperating weather. Since cell service is unlikely, the Garmin InReach Mini 2 became our lifeline. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). Amherst and Organ mountains in the background. It looked like a nice spot, close to the water, but the views werent excellent. A very convenient spot for an abandoned shack to be located. Sure enough, they appeared at the top of the trail heading down to our camp from the main trail. Copyright 2015-2023 Champagne TastesAll Rights Reserved. The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. You would think that they would just find another place to hang out with no people nearby, but they kept trying to make their way down to our area. We kept the food bags in our packs too, which is kept in OPsaks. To my amazement, the sky was 100% clear when I woke up at 5:30 this morning. Happy trails! A Garmin InReach is one of the pricier emergency options, but there are also less expensive satellite emergency locator beacons (with less functionality). It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. Again, a lot of trees were down that we had to circumnavigate. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Shortly after, we saw the skull with spine still connected of some type of antlered animal alongside the trail. The mountain scenery is spectacular the whole way, and you cross over several high passes along the way. Thanks for your support you ROCK!. 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. Will b taking my 19 yr old son in early August this year for his first extended back country pack trip. I felt a few drops of rain just as the trail leaves the Twin Lakes area and dips back into Chicago Basin. We got off the train at elk park ~11:45am and hiked ~6 miles uphill the first day. The weather was cloudy and more scattered rain throughout the rest of the day. From above, I spotted a deer down below on the trail to Kite Lake. This is a popular trail for birding and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Your email address will not be published. We woke up today at 5:30 and began to slowly pack up camp. Most were quick to check out the shack as we did, so the cinder block and wood plank benches filled up fast. Elk Park Stop Elk Creek Trail This trail travels east from the railroad, climbing into the upper reaches of the Needle Mountains. We use the Therm-a-Rest Vela Double 20 quilt. Id say we averaged 5 people seen per day on days 1-4. Soon enough, wed be overtaken by the unavoidable fog. They watched as I hiked right past them, which I did after taking a few pictures. We made the decision to cut our trek short. Its too bad that we had already eaten dinner before starting this fire, because we still had hot dogs that we could have cooked tonight. They were all well marked but took extra time to navigate. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. If you are open to suggestions, maybe have a look at the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Did this route from July 28 to August 3. Plenty water sources, every day at least 2. For comparison, where we live is around 800 feet above sea level. To close the loop I have to get from Needleton fo Elk Park (6.5mi). 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. Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. 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! 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. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. There are two main access points for the wilderness: Elk Park and Needleton. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. However I'm looking forward to making another trip here soon. We saw a few more deer throughout the day, more snowshoe hare, and even a weasel. Completed this loop early July 2021. 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. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. I feel like my extra efforts in training before this trip really made the difference in my knees. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. Im sure the views would have been great here in the absence of the clouds, but this was still pretty cool. 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. I dont trust the skies and just assume it will rain later today. My husband had an offline map downloaded in his Google Maps app, although we found it to be unreliable in the Vallecito Creek area. This section of trail is also part of the Colorado Trail, a 400 mile trail that goes from Durango to Denver. Bugs were pretty bad this year. Was the extra research and time spent preparing for the Elk Park to Needleton trip worth it? 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. Share Followers 0. We played leap frog with the other groups of hikers most of the day as we passed them on their breaks and vice versa. Excellent views all around. We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! Hello, solitude. 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. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). One mine was fairly close to the trail, so we took a quick detour and had a look inside. Now back on the trail, we were approaching the CDT. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. Route Standard route up to Twin Lakes, ascended Windoms West face. To board at a flagstop, you must be on the east side of the tracks. Todays hike will take us down by Kite Lake, over Hunchback Pass, and all the way down to the Vallecito Creek bridge, near Johnson Creek. Really helpful report! During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. I was a little nervous after getting dropped off at the trail via train and watching it ride away! Passing through a colorful meadow on the morning of day 2, Nearing the treeline, the views start improving. We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. Now back on the trail, we started gaining elevation en route to Hunchback Pass. I took the driest looking campsite I could find, which wasnt saying much. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Parking in Durango is $8 per day for cars and $10 per day for RVs. They really wanted to be right there, and werent taking no for an answer. We didn't want to risk going up and over Hunchback, down Vallecito, up Johnson Creek, over Columbine Pass and into Chicago Basin. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. I got injured jumping off the bridge there, so we couldn't complete the hike north over hunchback pass, and down Elk creekwe were kinda bummed. There were many campsites to choose from in the area near the Vallecito Creek Bridge. Did this in and back turning around a waterfall.