Thomas Crawford Photography

A 5-7 day loop in one of the most remote wilderness areas in the continental US.  Two mountain passes crossing the continental divide and the opportunity to climb three 14ers, along with some great photography potential.  And you can even get a train to drop you off and pick you up.

Trip Details

The hike that we chose is ~38 miles.  Most people recommend doing it in 6 days, but we decided to do 5 days and have an extra day in the Chicago basin.

Download our track map and view it in Google Earth: Weminuche Track Log (kmz format) - the days are distinguished by color.

View the track map and elevation profile (click to open large version):

Preparing for the Trip

1) You should make reservations ahead of time for the Durango-Silverton Railroad (www.durangotrain.com).  The prices vary considerably depending on which type of car you want to ride in.  We chose the open-air gondola because its the cheapest and affords the best views of the gorge and Animas River.  Keep in mind if you want picked up and dropped off at Elk Park and/or Needleton you will need to call to make the reservations.  When we went you weren’t able to specify different trains or that you needed dropped off and picked up in the Wilderness.  Note that not all trains stop at Elk Park or Needleton.

2) There is the option to skip the train and just hike in.  I believe you can get to Elk Park from Silverton (I’ll check this and update with the trail name).  There is also a 10+ mile trail that gets you from Purgatory to Needleton if you want to get in or out from the Chicago Basin.

3) Get in shape.  The better shape you are in the more you will enjoy the scenery, especially as you travel up to the high passes.  We saw some people that weren’t in good shape - they made it, but they were hurting pretty bad.

4) Decide on where to stay in Durango.  We stayed at the Durango KOA the night we got there.  It’s quiet and there are showers, laundry facilities, and clean water to fill Nalgenes and Camelbaks before you leave.  After we finished our trip we decided to get a hotel and picked the Travelodge.  Well, there was a reason that it was the only hotel with any open rooms.  Do not stay there.  It was clean, but was a not a safe place to be, and we think we saw a prostitute.  Let’s just say we were awoken at 2:00 in the morning by someone screaming “DO IT, JUST DO IT!!” outside of our door.  I was honestly waiting for gunshots at that point, I had looked outside earlier and there were a lot of shady characters milling around the parking lot.  The cops soon came to break it up (which I learned after I called the desk to ask for a refund in the morning).  When we got up to leave at 4:00am someone was playing guitar outside, and there was a guy walking around trying to look into other room’s windows.  That was just my experience there, YMMV.  I think there are a lot of other nice places to stay in Durango for not much more money.  Also Durango really is a nice, safe town overall.

Photography Equipment

I took about 12 pounds of photography equipment, upping my pack weight to around 48 pounds.  Here is what I took:

• Camera: Canon 5D with RRS L-bracket & optech strap
• Lenses: Olympus Zuiko 21mm f/3.5, Zeiss Distagon 28mm f/2.8, Zeiss Distagon 50mm f/1.7
• Support: Feisol 3401N tripod w/RRS BH-40 ballhead
• 36GB of CF cards in a Gepe extreme watertight case
• 6 spare batteries
• hot-shoe spirit level, remote release
• Rodenstock circular polarizer
• Lowepro 1N camera case (holds any 2 of the above lenses)

At the last minute I decided not to take my Canon 200mm f/2.8L.  I think in the end this was a wise decision, I would have used it for a few shots but not worth the weight over a 40 mile trek.  I did not take a camera case.  In the event of rain I put the camera in a plastic ziploc and into the top of my pack.  Otherwise I always had the camera out.  The optech shoulder strap has quick connect releases on each side, so could thread the strap up above my shoulders through my pack straps without even taking my pack off.  I then put one arm through the strap and it allowed me to carry it with no weight on my neck or shoulders and very minimal bouncing against me.  I could also take photos freely at any time.

At the end of the trip I had about 1200 photos at around 18GB total.  I used 4 1/2 of the 7 batteries.  The 50mm got limited use, I tried to get a panorama of the Needles range with it which I haven’t processed yet, so not sure if it was worth it yet.  Everything else got use so I was happy with the kit.  I question whether I will carry that much gear on a loop hike again.  I would probably carry more gear if I was just hiking into a place and doing day hikes for a few days.

Day 1: The Train and Elk Park

There is a very important piece of information that we did not know about on the day we left:  you have to pay for parking ($7+/day), and it is cash only.  It was quite comical seeing my friend Bo sprinting over to the Wells Fargo across the street to stand in the car ATM line with the timing running out to get on board.  But everyone made it in the end. When you first board the train its all new and exciting.  There are drinks and hot breakfast burritos available.  And then after a couple of hours you realize the downside to the open-air gondola - soot periodically rains down on you depending on the wind.  Just when you think you should have just hiked an extra 10 miles the train stops to drop you off.

A member of the train personel will move you to the front of the train near the box car where your backpack is loaded.  It was a bit of mad rush to get all the packs off, there were about 25-30 people getting off with us.

At this point make sure you get the right trail.  You will go a little to the left of the train turn-around tracks to catch the Elk Creek Trailhead.  Look for a wooden sign to know you are going the right way.

The beginning of the trail climbs pretty steeply up to the trail register.  Don’t worry, the trail levels off a bit after the register.  A lot of people were huffing and puffing after only about 1/4 mile, and I caught a few comments and looks of dread of people wondering if they could make it.

After the register the trail just gradually goes uphill for a while, winding in and out of the trees.  There were abundant wildflowers when we were there.  Note that you will be quite a bit above the the creek, so try to start off with the water you will need for several miles.  There is little or no way down to Elk Creek except for a few places until you get to the beaver ponds.

You will arrive at the beaver ponds in a little over 3 miles from the trailhead,

the elevation should be around 10,000′.  If you are doing a 6 day version of the hike this is a common place to camp, it’s flat and there is abundant water.  There are many established campsites so I highly suggest not creating your own.  We wanted to push ahead at least a couple more miles to minimize the mileage to the pass the next day.  But at least stop and have a snack, and depending on the light it is a great place for photography.  You can get nice reflections from Vestal (13,864′) and Arrow (13,803′) Peaks.  The clouds were starting to come in when we arrived so I had some good light.

Just past the beaver ponds you will cross a large rocky field, and then enter a large open meadow.  We camped just after the meadow, walk into the trees a bit to the left of the trail and there are several established campsites.  There is also good access to the creek which comes within 10 feet of the trail at this point and is easy to get down to.

Day 2: Crossing the Continental Divide

Shortly after our first campsite (you can get the GPS coordinates from the track log above), we had our first creek crossing that required walking across on some logs.  Just upstream from the creek you can follow a trail up to a really nice waterfall.  After this creek the trail starts ascending through the forest, leaving Elk Creek far below once again.  After 3/4 of a mile or so you come out into a beautiful meadow and get a good view of the 13ers that are surrounding you.  This is where the columbines (Colorado state flower) begin to become much more common.

This is basically at the treeline, so there are great views from here all the way up to the continental divide.  We went about another mile or so and stopped and had a snack and soaked in the view, because after this the trail gets much steeper.  Some steep switchbacks will finally get you out of the treeline completely.  There is an incredible waterfall on the cliffs opposite the trail, which I believe is draining out of Eldorado Lake.  Another meadow and a steep rocky climb gets you up to the old miner’s cabin and gets you a great view of the alpine meadows leading up to the divide.  At this point a thunderstorm rolled in on us and hail and lighting forced us into the miner’s cabin to spend 2 hours with our 19(!) new

friends.  Fortunately everyone was nice and we had some good conversation.  Here I will note that at least 10 people decided to cross the divide while lightning was visible.  In my opinion it was extremely foolish and takes all the enjoyment out of getting to that altitude because you can’t enjoy the view at all.

After the rain a long series of switchbacks took us to the continental divide.  At this point you have four choices of where to go.  The standard route to go left (north) at the top of the divide and the trail will take you down and then back to the right and you will end up below Kite Lake.  Option 2 is to go to the right (roughly south) up over a rocky outcropping and then down to Eldorado Lake to camp.  Option 3 takes you the same southerly direction, but instead of camping at Eldorado Lake there is a trail down to Kite Lake.  This was our choice as you can see by our trackmap linked above.

The fourth option is to follow the continental divide over and drop down into Vallecito Lake.  We met one group who did this and when we saw them later on Vallecito Creek they did not recommend it as the trail is little used and nonexistant in some areas, which means a lot of bushwacking through the willows.  We followed the trail down to Kite Lake and found a great campsite on a ridge below Kite Lake.

The last detail to mention about this area are that there are 4WD trails just below Kite Lake, which is out of the wilderness boundary, so expect to see some cars parked below.  Second is that the water from Kite Lake has a distinct

metallic taste due to the abandoned mining operations in the area.  I recommend finding a stream that is snowmelt.  The mining operations often used mercury to extract the gold.

Day 3: Hunchback Pass and Vallecito Creek

Our plan for camp 2 had been to cross Hunchback pass and camp below treeline on the Vallecito Creek trail.  The rain delayed us long enough that we didn’t make it over the pass, so we were looking at a ~12 mile day to get down to the Vallecito Creek bridge.

The trail from Kite Lake first drops down several hundred feet to a trailhead by the 4WD roads.  Since we camped on the ridge below the lake we crossed the meadow and saved the descent.  The only thing to be aware of is that it is very marshy on that side, but it is a good place to get

We hit the trail as it starts up the ridge, it is reasonably steep but not too bad, basically a gradual ascent to the top of the pass through wildflower meadows.  Once you cross the pass the trail descends more steeply, and the trail is primarily composed of loose talus (shale).  Gradually you will get back below treeline.  There are several very large waterfalls along the way once Nebo Creek joins up with Vallecito Creek.  At one creek crosssing there is a huge waterfall off a cliff just below the trail.  This is a good place to stop for a rest.  The creek

was too deep on the trail for us to cross, but just upstream there are some rocks that you can get across on.  Otherwise I suggest taking your boots off for this one, we saw several people slip off rocks up to their knees and get their boots wet.

At this point the trail just gradually goes downhill through forest and meadow.  There are great views of the peaks to the west as you travel down.  The next major marker is Rock Creek.  Here you will absolutely have to take your boots off to get across, and if you are at all uncomfortable or uncoordinated with your pack on you should have a trekking pole or sturdy walking stick.  Also remember to unbuckle the chest strap and waistbelt of your pack.

It’s not all that deep, I am 6′ tall and probably got in to my knees, but the creek is comprised of large rocks that can be tough to negotiate and keep your balance.  I found that my polarized sunglasses made it much easier to see my footing as I crossed.

After Rock Creek it a long, brutal stretch down to the Vallecito Creek bridge.  You are dropping a lot of altitude and it is mostly in the trees, so it gets hot and muggy and the black flies are awful.  There is one more significant creek crossing, at X creek, where you can go across on some old logs.  Note that the free USGS maps are not accurate in this section regarding the location of the meadows, we thought we were a few miles farther down than we actually were, but the GPS dashed those hopes.  If you are just tired and worn out at this point there are many places to camp, both at Rock Creek and all the way down the valley.

We made it the Vallecito Creek bridge and made camp just on the other side.  You can get down to the water next to the bridge easily and the creek bends making it a safe place to walk around and filter some water.

Day 4: Columbine Pass to Chicago Basin

The next day I realized (in my opinion) that we had made a mistake when we chose our campsite.  About 1/2 mile up the trail you have to cross Johnson Creek, and again it definitely requires taking your boots off.  The one caveat to this was that James had awful blisters and had just dressed them, so I stood in the water and helped him negotiate some very small branches to get across.  The water was up over my knees, so this technique requires (1) someone who knows how to stand in strong running water, and (2) the other person needs to have very good balance and be prepared to potentially fall in, i.e. they need to be experienced enough to know how to just bail out into the creek without getting hurt.  I’d say our chances were 50/50 but he made it across dry.  Otherwise the crossing is easy but just too deep for boots.  It would have been nice to have crossed this the night before.

After the creek crossing the trail just goes straight up, with a minimal amount of switchbacks.  And it doesn’t really stop going up until you cross Columbine pass.  Be prepared to gain about 3800′ in ~6 miles.  A landslide has the trail re-routed in a small section, the new trail is still getting established so be sure to follow the blue flag trail markers if you are unsure of the direction.  During the redirection you will come pretty close to Johnson Creek.  This is the last place to get water until you are well up into the basin below Columbine Pass.  We basically ran out right before we reached a big meadow that is just below the last 800′ gain to the pass.

Above this meadow the view gets absolutely gorgeous.  Looking back down the Johnson Creek drainage toward the east affords great views of the surrounding craggy peaks.  A little storm was trying to develop during this time so it provided some nice lighting.  The final push up the pass is fairly difficult.  The switchbacks are long and more vertical than the one’s above the miner’s cabin from day 2.  Many people choose to camp overnight at Columbine Lake and cross the pass the next day.

Once we got to the top of the pass we realized that there was a storm sitting on the other side.  It was rainy and extremely windy, and the temperature at the top was probably in the low 40’s.  The trail dropping down to the Chicago Basin was not in good shape at all.  The outfitters that bring people in on horseback really tear up this trail with the horses.  In some places it was only about 6 inches of sand on a very steep sidehill trail.  I have strong reservations about letting people in on horseback, horses are not made to walk over a mountain pass at 12,000′.  Using a lama as a pack animal seems to do much less damage.  In my opinion if you can’t hike in under your own power then you don’t have any business riding a horse in.  What if the animal gets hurt and you are too weak or out of shape to hike out yourself?  Anyway, enough of the rant.

The views dropping down into the Chicago Basin are beautiful with clear views of all three 14ers and multiple 13ers and ridges.  This is where you will have a tough decision to make on where to camp.  We chose an established campsite next to a creek crossing just below treeline.  This up much higher in elevation than the majority of the campsites, and there are only a few around this area.  But the views are magnificent and there is plenty of water.  The basin below (you will descend some switchbacks) is often very, very full of people.  If you pass up one of these high camps you run the risk of having to descend 1-2 miles further down the valley before you find an open campsite.  Our camp was obviously an outfitter’s camp, we had some carved wood chairs and benches to use to site around on, which isn’t too bad.  To be honest if this was grizzly country I probably wouldn’t be comfortable staying in a place like that, because I’m sure they eat in their campsite, and possibly even have cooked there.  But of course we cook and eat outside the camp and hang our food, so in black bear areas its not really a big deal.  There was obvious bear scat within 50 yards of the camp.  The only other disgusting thing is that the outfitters had obviously cut down some live trees to leave for firewood later on.

Day 5: Chicago Basin

We were glad that we made the basin as we had planned, at the end of our 4th day, so that we had a free day to relax and enjoy being in the same place.  Many people choose to bag 14ers on this day, but we weren’t motivated enough to get up early to make it up before about 1:00, when on some days storms can start rolling in.  If you decide to climb the 14ers I recommend bringing a helmet, I’ve read a few stories of loose rocks coming down on people on their way up.  So we just lounged around and I did some photography.  We were woken up in the morning by a whole herd of mountains goats.  It’s a little disconcerting to here something rummaging around your campsite in the morning, but know that they are mostly harmless.  I would just avoid getting in

between a kid and its mother.  They love the salt in human urine, they can find it several inches under the soil.  As a result they end up coming much farther down the mountainside then they normally would, causing trouble and exposing their young kids to danger more than they should.  I had read that the goats would come into your camp, but I wasn’t

expecting 20+ goats to come and just lay down next to our tents.  It was cool for about 20 minutes and then got old really fast.

There are some nice waterfalls in the area, and if descend just a bit there are some mines you can explore.  I’m under the impression that these are relatively safe since they are right on the trail and haven’t been closed up, but proceed at your own risk.  I’ve read accounts of others going pretty far down into them.  What I actually wanted to do that day but didn’t have the motivation for was to climb back up to Columbine pass and explore a trail that heads south along the ridge to some alpine lakes, or north above Columbine Lake.  Perhaps on another trip if I just come into Chicago Basin and do some day hikes more focused on photography.

Day 6: Hiking out to Needleton

The hike down to the train pickup on the Animas River is easy going downhill.  It will be 6-8 miles depending on where you camped.  Make sure you make it for the train in time, because its usually the last train of the day that is stopping (around 3:45 in the summertime).

The hike down is really beautiful, Needle Creek was probably the prettiest creek that we followed on the hike.  Lots of waterfalls with deep swimming holes underneath them with aqua-blue water.  Huge boulders the size of a two-story house are laying all over one part of the woods, they have obviously fallen off the cliff behind.

Of course we got to the bridge ridiculously early (~11:00, it took us 3 hours), but we passed the time by wading and sitting in the Animas River.  Keep in mind that the land around the bridge is private, so don’t wander around on it.  You can try to flag down an earlier train but the chance of it stopping is close to zero unless you have some sort of obvious emergency.

Tags: chicago basin, colorado, elk park, needles, needleton, rocky mountains, san juan, trip report, weminuche

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