elk park train stop to needleton

What a morale booster it was. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 19 h 35 min to complete. Go to the print button at the top and choose print to pdf. Because of this we consider it to be a hard trail but the views were worth every single second. This section of trail is also part of the Colorado Trail, a 400 mile trail that goes from Durango to Denver. I just completed this route the July 11-15, 2022. It sounds funny, but for some reason hey turned and ran when I did that and never came back. Down to Eldorado. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. The water in Elk Creek was super clear, so I didnt have to pre-filter any of it before using my Steri-Pen Opti UV water purifier. 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. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. Great report, how can I get your waypoints? 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. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 10 min to complete. Not once did we get wet crossing a stream. During the summer months, May-October, adventurers can access the wilderness from the Durango train. As we waited by the tracks, one of the hikers we were talking to in the shack was showing another guy his sleeping pad. I did this loop in Late August in the mid 90s and must have gotten a lucky dry weather window. There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. Lisa really wanted a fire, and although I knew we could get one going, but I didnt want to go through the effort of gathering wood only to have it rain again . There are also sections with loose pebbles where youll want good traction. Finally, some views! I have a trip report on the Mogollon Mountains in the Gila Wilderness, but the popular side is the east side with all the rivers. We passed 2 guys who had asked us how far Roell Creek was, but I wasnt familiar with that one. Columbine Pass The crowning jewel on our recent vacation to Colorado was an epic backpacking trip. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. I used a Deuter Kids 40 pack (it has an adjustable torso section for short people!) If you found my trip report useful, please dont hesitate to leave a comment! Twin Lakes, still waiting for early morning light to hit tis waters. I dont like to sit in the tent if I dont have to. The low clouds were back, engulfing Mount Kennedy southwest of us. We had a lot of rain, starting everyday around 1 pm and lasting for a couple of hours. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Besides that, she was very happy to have a day off to rest. 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. I climbed up the highest hill along the edge which was roughly 12,700ft, which provided awesome views of Eldorado and everything else around. Are you planning a backpacking adventure in the Weminuche Wilderness of southern Colorado? My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. If youre boarding the train at a flag stop, you need to alert the conductor. I purified some more water for todays hike and ate breakfast, a Metrx bar and some granola & almonds. Then on the way back, youll catch the southbound train at Needleton and ride back to Durango. 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! Expect to pay for the train tickets, a baggage fee (for your backpack, which goes in the boxcar train), and an overnight parking fee. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. Before I knew it though, I was was past the steeper summit section and back down to a more obvious trail. Done over 5 nights and 6 days. It felt good to be hiking today its amazing what a little sunshine can do. My home area is the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana and am looking for a backcountry trip in Colorado. I didnt want to go crazy on day 1 anyways, so it worked out that it was a shorter day. A friend and I attempted this horseshoe hike in reverse last weekend (Aug 14). The trail leading down to Kite Lake from the CDT, View of Kite Lake, before it disappeared in the growing fog. After about an hour of rain, thunder and lightning, I gave up on the idea of a fire. Otherwise, you can order a big map from mytopo.com. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). After checking our gear and getting set up, we were on our way. I learned this the hard way when hiking around Snowmass Lake last year. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. It has a mesh frame that holds the weight of the pack slightly off your back. (We didnt see any, but we heard they were plentiful.). Not today, it gre more and more intense as time went on. After heading down more switchbacks, I spied a suitable place to call home of the next 2 nights. Without going closer, theres no way of knowing what the rest of it looked like. Within 10 or 15 minutes, I found a decent campsite near the Lake. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. She said that several of them approached the campsite and some got extremely close. I ended up spending an hour and a half up here just hanging out. 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. There were also a lot of flowers alongside the trail, and there were tons of butterflies on them. Y0ou could really see just ow red it was with a little sunlight. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. I found nothing that was going to be snow free and chose the Gila. The weather looked like it was holding out as we neared the top, but it looked like it could turn bad at any moment. Leave from Durango or Silverton and get off to explore at Elk Park, Needleton or one of the flagstops. Also, because I sunburn easily, I brought UV protective shirts (the BALEAF womens UPF50 quick-dry shirt). Trees blocked most of the views. As always, questions and comments are welcome! Our morning routine is a little more polished now, and we were on the trail by 7am. Not too bad, but this was definitely not a class 2+ as described on 14ers.com. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. Colorado Adventure 2022 San Juan Mountains Weminuche Wilderness Elk Park - Needleton Loop - YouTube Backpacking trip in the San Juan Mountains in July 2022. I updated this post to include a map of the Weminuche Wilderness, with trailhead locations marked. See this list of my favorite freeze-dried meals if youre curious about what theyre like. Trains run daily, with wilderness access available during summer months. Highlights were kite lake, columbine pass, and Chicago basin. Then, we saw 2 mountain goats on the other side of Needle Creek that had just walked into someones camp. 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. . Everything was wet, including my feet. A hiking boot is preferable. 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. We headed down towards Kite, watching as the fog grew more and more around us. Comments are not currently showing up on my site right now, need to troubleshoot that. I hung out up here a while longer before deciding to head down around 10am. It was great to get some hot food in our stomachs before heading to our hotel in Pagosa Springs. Within the first mile, we encountered a snake on the trail. Interesting views in the upper Chicago Basin area. A mine along the trail leading down into Chicago Basin. Columbine Lake Trail #509 in San Juan National Forest is a difficult and steep trail with 16 discernible switchbacks but it's worth the effort. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. From the drainage area, it was easy to cross to the other side of the lake. There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If we werent wet and hungry, I might have stopped to check it out further, but again, we were on a mission to find camp. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Here, there were several more mountain goats hanging out on the rocks by a small pool of water. 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. The water was deep and fast flowing here. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. Just as I hit that switchback, a few hikers came into view on the way down from the CDT. To reach this trail on foot, some hikers make a longer loop from the Molas Trail (about four miles). At the bridge over New York Creek, there was a waterfall right there along the trail.. Animas River, from the bridge at the Needleton train stop. I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Weminuche Wilderness, unobstructed by clouds for the first time all week. I made it to the top before Lisa and snapped a few pictures before the rain returned moments later. Needless to say, our rain gear would be used heavily on this trip. Other trip reports Ive read have indicated that its been this way for years. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? There was a new amazing view after every turn. is to leave an itinerary with a responsible person back home, as well as a time and date when they should call for help if they dont hear from you. Bugs were pretty bad this year. There was only one other campsite occupied the we could see in the area, so it wasnt too crowded. Narrow Gauge Railroad preservation & legacy. Everywhere along the horizon, fog could be seen rising from the mountains. I'm hoping that we weren't unncessarilly cautious and missed out. Hello, solitude. The on and off rain was definitely a bummer though. Finally, it was time to start this hike. Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. I chucked some rocks and shouted at them, but theyd just walk 5 feet away and stare back at us. It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. The correct way to flag the train and let the conductor know youd like to board is by waving your hands across your knees. The only way to combat them is it cover up your skin with long sleeves, jacket hood, etc. Soon enough, wed be overtaken by the unavoidable fog. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 9 min to complete. Its relatively easy to walk over/around them, but be patient and expect a slight delay. This route climbs 8,523 ft with a max elevation of 12,843 ft then descends -9,174 ft. Local Trail Association Also, this area of the Weminuche has quite the rodent population. Yet another day we found ourselves traversing a pass in bad weather.

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elk park train stop to needleton

elk park train stop to needleton