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Climb aboard and make memories youll cherish forever by planning an outdoor adventure that starts on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. 2. Our lunch spot today was next to a waterfall. He mentioned a possible shortcut to get up here from the Colorado Trail, by going up the drainage. The train follows the overall route of the Animas River northward from Durango and stops at Silverton, however, we werent going that far. Really, it shouldnt be called a creek, but a river instead. You write quite well. On the Elk Park to Needleton loop, the emergency outs are limited. Very isolated in the middle of the trail, we only saw 1 other person each day. So, they suggested to take train from Needleton to Silverton, wait for 1.5h and then return back to Elk Park for the price of full ticket Durango-Silverton . I hope your backpacking trip is just as epic as ours was. Fortunately it was all downhill, so we could cover some serious ground, which I assumed would be at the expense of my knees. Of course, now it starts to rain for the first time today. This time, we were sure to be acclimated to the elevation. 2/21/22 12:49pm. What a place for a cabin! After 3 hours, we were finally back in Durango. None of them seemed very dry though. The benefit is being able to skip the train and park at the Lime Mesa TH. Nice! Finally, some views! Todays hike was all uphill, but it wasnt too strenuous. San Juan National Forest. Wed been in Colorado a week now, doing other cool stuff like the Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, Denver & Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park, Telluride, etc. Early morning often leaves thick fog in valleys, only to be burnt away later by the sun. We only had to wait 30 minutes before suiting up. You'll need to reserve this option in advance, but it makes for a great opportunity to explore the San Juan National Forest. Be prepared for a lot of bugs and rain. While we ate our sandwiches, they grazed about 40 feet away as if we werent even there. Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. More views ruined by the weather, and as a result I took few pictures in this area. Looking back up the way I just came down from Windom Peak. Thank you for taking the time to write it! I do regret getting the open-cart seats though, because it was raining and it was not dry inside. El mejor momento para visitar esta . There was even a distinct trail that led much of the way up, until it could no longer be seen amongst the boulders. But we opted to take the train! 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! I learned this the hard way when hiking around Snowmass Lake last year. I dont know why these animals are so persistent about going to a specific location when there are humans there. It was slippery and a little scary in the rain. I only saw a steep trail consisting of loose rock. It ended up raining everyday, several times a day while we were here. Back up on the CDT, it was evident that the weather was not going to cooperate today. Where the lake began to drain out down the mountainside, there were remnants of an old dam here. 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. These guys didnt seem as threatening though. As we laid down to sleep tonight, all we could think about was laying down in that nice hotel bed tomorrow night. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. Would that be too early in the season? The best times to visit this trail are June through October. tnmule20 68 Posted February 10, 2022. tnmule20. We saw 3 hikers coming down Hunchback Pass earlier as we were going up, and didnt see anyone else today until we got about a mile from the Vallecito Creek Bridge. Carry a comfortable pack with a water reservoir. Creating new thru-hiking routes & guides, hiking videos, outdoor documentaries, backpacking trip reports, trail journals, photos and more! There were a lot of berries along the trail, although not all edible. There was a snowshoe hare, or multiple hares, that I kept seeing as I gathered wood. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Did this route from July 28 to August 3. Lisa spent the morning chasing away mountain goats. Where did you get the map? Not this time though! I am curious - does anyone have first hand knowledge of current conditions in Chicago Basin, Columbine Pass, Johnson Creek and Vallecito Trail. 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. Finally, it was time to start this hike. We chatted for a while and took turns taking pictures of each other before they headed down. When we stopped for lunch, two deer wandered into our resting area. Then on the way back, youll catch the southbound train at Needleton and ride back to Durango. Thank you so much for your detailed description! Everything was still pretty wet from the rains overnight, and it was cold. Before reaching the trails down to Kite/Eldorado Lakes, we had to hike over a 100ft rocky ridge, just as the clouds looked their worst. Clothes and gear is now dry (mostly), and we wreaked of smoke. The top of Hunchback Pass offered no views, as the visibility was around 200 feet. There were no signs of private property here, so we hung out here while we waited for the train. 1. Thanks for sharing. As the sun went down, the goats headed back up the mountainside for the evening. Awesome, glad it was useful to you. Or some come at it from the opposite (Needleton) end, via Purgatory Flats Trail and the Animas River Trail (about 10 miles). Route Eldorado Lake to Vallecito Creek Bridge. Lisa was still far below me, and the other hikers told her to hike directly to her right a ways until she hit the switchbacks, as they had a clear view from above us. Prueba esta ruta de punto a punto de 37,3-millas cerca de Silverton, Colorado. There are a lot of trees down throughout the Johnson Creek and Needle Creek drainages - another hiker counted 155 trees across the trail on the way down from Chicago Basin to Needleton, but it looks like the FS is working their way up, clearing from the bottom up. The trail follows the 44 road past the lake, and then winds towards the trail leading up to Hunchback Pass. On this section of the trail, the views were mostly obstructed by trees until we reached the beaver pond at mile 3. I headed up and made good time moving through here as it was pretty easy. I packed a peanut butter sandwich, some jerky, and a Metrx bar to eat later, as well as 2 liters of water. One stream crossing after the Vallecito bridge about mid calf. After crossing the bridge over the Animas River to the train tracks on the other side, we spotted an abandoned shack. I think we also got hailed on every day as well, with the exception of our last day. Some streams had a lot of flash flood debris jammed up in certain points, more so than wed seen in other areas. Just import my GPX file and then you can print it out. Required fields are marked *. He had camped in this area, not by Eldorado, and thus had left the trail to set up his camp. By tnmule20, February 10, 2022 in Camping & High Adventure. Check out my AWESOME DIY stealth camper van build project! There is no road access to either the Elk Park or Needleton trail access points. This snowshoe hare looks as if it could shoot lasers from its eyes, Campsite along the Elk Park trail, around 10,300ft. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Did the 38.6 mile loop from Elk. Id say there were about 20 people total here waiting for the train. The pictures dont even come close to being there first hand. 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. Early morning at the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad station. The weather started to improve a little as we set up the tent and took care of the usual camp chores. 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. Finally below the clouds after descending Hunchback Pass, These deer practically walked right up to us while we ate lunch. They could not believe how small the pad was, but I got the impression it was too ultralight for them. We had a couple of long days and some short days with lots of time to relax. It might be tough to find a good alpine hike that early in the season. We made it to Chicago Basin and I made it to the "saddle" of Sunlight peak before talking myself out of going up the rest of the way (regretting it to this day). I chose my path through the first boulder field above the lake and started moving. Two other climbers reached the top during my stay up here. Instead of heading over to Sunlight, I decided to follow the drainage leading to Twin Lakes and explore that area. What a morale booster it was. Eolus. After climbing about a third of the way up to the CDT, I hit a switchback, which I gladly used the rest of the way up. Really helpful report! From there, youll have a choice of where youd like to go. Route Elk Park train stop to camp along Elk Creek at ~10,300ft. Miles Hiked 10.4 Im taking a group on essentially this same trip in a couple weeks, and your pictures and story are very inspiring. My group is collectively only able to go last week of May/first week of June. You can purchase a ticket to or from Elk Park onboard as long as space is availableno reservations are taken for this flag stop. We got to the train station around 7:15am, as we were told to be there 45 minutes early. After going up a series of switchbacks, I had reached the Twin Lakes by around 7:15. As crappy as the weather has been all day, I havent seen any lightning yet. The trail is always very clear and easy to follow. By now, there were clouds brewing in all directions, but nothing serious yet. The only stop on the southbound trail in the afternoon is Elk Park. It was cloudy and grey though, so pictures werent coming out good. Call the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at 1-888-872-4607 to book and make your reservation. They didnt seem afraid of humans at all. My two 15 year olds and I just completed it mid July 2021 and it took us five days. We walked 44 miles vs the 36 listed in the app. There were at least 5 if not 6 avalanche debris fields on the Elk creek trail. This is when the fog really started growing. Dogs are also able to. The views were awe inspiring, but of course, it began to rain. I have done this one twice!! Elk Park-Needleton Loop. You have to make the backpacker train reservations by phone, not online. We got to the train stop at noon and the train picked us up at 3pm. This was a class 3 in my opinion. 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. For your monthly pledge, at various tier levels starting at $5, you receive perks and benefits in return. We ended up eating at Diorios Pizza which was pretty good. Whitewater rafting with professional guides. Its also a good idea to drink lots of water (more so than at sea level). The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. We snacked on sour patch kids by the fire for a while before letting it burn out. The third day we hiked ~11 miles, starting with 2 miles downhill and then 7 miles to the top of columbine pass and then 2 miles down to camp at Chicago basin. Oh well. However, Im sure you could find a clearing to put a tent somewhere. Would you advise camping at Columbine Lake? We also saw more people this morning than the rest of the trip combined! When youre leaving from Durango, youll need to have your gear in the boxcar at least 45 minutes before departure. Ive started research for a September 2017 trip and came across your report. Morning of day 2, climbing up the Colorado Trail, Going up a funky section of the Colorado Trail, below the Miners Cabin. The best times to visit this trail are May through September. The names of surrounding landmarks included Stormy Gulch and Storm King Peak, and now I understood why. By the time Lisa made it to the top, we had to continue down the other side immediately. This is where Eldorado Lake drains off the mountainside and down to the Miners Cabin area we passed earlier today, Looking up at 13,627ft White Dome from the Eldorado Lake drainage. The final approach of Columbine Pass was pretty steep, but manageable. Once on the other side, the path down to Eldorado lake was pretty clear. Length: 7.9 mi Est. Basin and Range Trail (2020) We had about 7 miles of downhill hiking to the train, which arrives at 3:30, and thus were not in a hurry. After all, it was Saturday evening. I like these Sunski polarized sunglasses and Shady Rays sunglasses. Note that these satellite device options typically require that you have an active subscription to use the features. And what a campsite that would be, killer views! I was . We had cinders in your hair most of the trip, they didnt seem to go away! Cant wait to try this trip myself! Getting close to the top of Hunchback Pass. The skies did not look good and I was not sure whether or not I would be climbing tomorrow. We had to stand guard for a while to make sure they didnt walk right into our camp. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. The train kept on going though, as this one wasnt scheduled to stop here. We met others that were completing this 36-40 mile trip as we were walking into the wilderness from Needleton.