Route: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad → Elk Park → Chicago Basin → Columbine Pass → Vallecito Creek → Pine River → Durango
Distance: 52 miles
Days: 5
Access: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (required for trailhead access)
Base Weight: 10.1 lbs
Season: Mid-September
The Weminuche is Colorado’s largest wilderness area, and the Needle Mountains section is the crown jewel — a cluster of 14,000ft peaks rising above hanging valleys and roaring creeks. Access requires either a very long approach hike or a ride on the D&SNG railroad, which drops you at Elk Park or Needleton. We took the train.
Getting There
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a heritage steam railroad that’s been running since 1882. Today it doubles as a backcountry shuttle — flag stops at Elk Park and Needleton let you on and off with backpacks. The train departs Durango at 8:45am, and the rail cars smell like coal smoke and summer. It’s one of the best trail approaches in the country.
Day 1: Elk Park to Chicago Basin — 9 miles
Dropped at Elk Park into a narrow canyon and started climbing immediately. The trail to Chicago Basin is 9 miles with 3,200ft of gain — relentless but beautiful. The Needle Mountains appear as the basin opens up: Sunlight Peak, Windom Peak, and Mount Eolus clustered together above 14,000ft.
Made camp at 11,600ft in the upper basin, above treeline in the alpenglow. Four other groups in the basin — crowded by Weminuche standards, but the basin is big enough to absorb everyone.
Day 2: Rest Day / Peak Attempts
Chicago Basin is the jumping-off point for three fourteeners: Sunlight (14,059ft), Windom (14,082ft), and Eolus (14,083ft). We left camp at 5am and made Windom and Sunlight before noon, passing on Eolus when afternoon clouds started building. The ridge between Windom and Sunlight is a scramble — class 3, exposed, not technical but demanding full attention.
Back in camp by 2pm. Afternoon thunderstorms rolled through as expected. Spent two hours in the tent reading. Perfect.
Day 3: Chicago Basin → Columbine Pass → Upper Vallecito — 11 miles
Columbine Pass (12,680ft) is a steep climb out of Chicago Basin on the east side, then a dramatic drop into the Vallecito Creek drainage. The contrast is immediate — the west side of the pass is rocky and alpine; the east side is dense spruce-fir forest with a roaring creek at the bottom.
The descent to upper Vallecito is long — 3,000ft over 5 miles on a good trail. Made camp in the forest at 9,200ft, which felt almost tropical after two nights above treeline.
Wildlife: Elk heard bugling throughout the night. September is rut season in the San Juans.
Day 4: Upper Vallecito to Pine River — 14 miles
The long day. The trail follows Vallecito Creek downstream through continuous forest, crossing the creek multiple times on log bridges of varying confidence levels. The drainage sees less traffic than Chicago Basin — we passed four other parties in 14 miles.
The junction with the Pine River Trail at Vallecito Reservoir marks the transition to the final leg. Made camp on the Pine River at 8,100ft.
Resupply: Vallecito Reservoir has a campground with a camp store — we grabbed food here for the final day.
Day 5: Pine River to Durango Trailhead — 18 miles
The exit. 18 miles on the Pine River Trail back to the Vallecito trailhead, then a hitched ride back to Durango. The trail is flat and fast — it follows the river downstream the entire way. We covered it in 6 hours.
Lessons Learned
September is prime time — the crowds of August are gone, elk rut is happening, aspens start turning, and afternoon thunderstorms are less severe than July/August. The tradeoff is cold nights (low 20s in Chicago Basin) and occasional early snow above treeline.
The railroad is part of the experience — don’t just treat it as a shuttle. Take the scenic car, watch the canyon, talk to the other passengers. It’s a remarkable piece of Colorado history.
Columbine Pass is serious — the trail is clear and well-marked but the climb is steep and the descent loose. Trekking poles are not optional here.
Permits: No quota system currently, but register at the trailhead. That may change as visitation increases.