Needle Mountains Loop in Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado is one of the best hikes in the world.

Why? hiking guidebook 2002 hiking guidebook 2005 travel guidebook 2004 hike Rockies 160x600	World > North America > Rockies > Needle Mountains One of the best hikes in the world is the NEEDLE MOUNTAINS LOOP Do you know this hike? This page is a stub. You can expand it by emailing suggestions in the appropriate sections below. Our editors will add your comments. Thanks! Hikes in this area also called: Elk Park / Chicago Basin Shuttle-Loop Chicago Basin Twin Lakes Basin The red dot is WEMINUCHE WILDERNESS, Colorado. AT A GLANCE 4 days, 3 nights recommended 32.5miles (56.7km) plus side trips best months July - mid-Oct medium-hard hiking shorter option to Chicago Basin WHY WE LIKE THIS HIKE Taking a train to and from one of the best hikes in the Weminuche — Colorado's wildest, biggest wilderness. What's not to like? Highlights include: the photogenic Needle mountains, over 14,000ft (4267m) Chicago and Twin Lake Basins sidetrip chance to see mountain goats and marmots Eldorado Lake vista no backcountry permit needed dogs allowed. Leashes requested. you can hire a llama to carry your pack! ... add a comment here click on photo for larger images - photographer Chris Kaffer CONSIDERATIONS passes above 12,000ft (3,657m) means you will be feeling the symptoms of altitude and be short of breath early in the season, check to see if the snow has melted lightening strikes are a deadly hazard if an afternoon storm rolls in while you are high up it can rain every afternoon for days on end 75-150 people may be camping at Chicago Basin during the high season. (about 3000 visitors per summer) dayhike the Basin, but camp elsewhere if you can Chicago Basin is also a base camp for mountaineers scaling Sunlight, Eolus & Wisdom marmots may chew any sweat-salty gear left lying around camp mountain goats may challenge you to a head butt urinate on stone to minimize animals digging up vegetation to get at the salt. nights can fall below freezing. biting insects (including dangerous ticks in the early season) early season wildflowers are the highlight for many ... add a comment here ROUTES Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains lays out the loop hike, the best itinerary in the area. take the train - DurangoTrain.com - to the Needleton trailhead 3 nights tenting is the wild catch the trail at Elk Park station ... add a comment here Best shorter alternative hike is up to Chicago Basin and back. But do the whole circuit if you can. Get away from the crowds. The only real hassle with this hike is getting a train ticket in July and August. Purchase one early. DurangoTrain.com - wilderness connections 1-877-TRAIN-07 to make your reservations (local 247-2733) LOGISTICS the jumping off point for most is Durango, Colorado there you catch a train to the Needleton trailhead start walking around 11 AM after signing the register and reading the information posted when you finish the hike, you can purchase a ticket on the train to exit, but you need to pay the fare in exact cash ... add a comment here HIKING GUIDES The easiest way to get organized is to sign on with experts. Southwest Adventure Guides - Durango Over The Hill Outfitters - Durango Buckhorn Llama Company - Masonville, CO. Pack llama hiking. ... add a recommendation here LOCAL INFORMATION San Juan National Forest - US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Chicago Basin Trip Planning - San Juan Mountains Association Chicago Basin regulations & recommended practices - San Juan Mountains Association US Forest Service lightning guidelines Durango weather - forecast ... add a recommendation here BEST HIKING GUIDEBOOKS Lonely Planet Hiking in the Rocky Mountains - Lindenmayer, Fairbairn, McCormack, 2002 Falcon Hiking Colorado's Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas - Donna Lynn Ikenberry, 2005 Walking in Wildness - B. J Boucher, 1999 ... add a recommendation here If you are hiking elsewhere in the Rockies, invest in the Lonely Planet. For just this hike, get the Falcon guide. Note: One experienced hiker, Thomas Woods, calls the Lonely Planet time estimates for each section of this hike laughably incorrect (i.e., at least 50% too short in duration). No rush anyway, we feel. BEST TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS Fodor's Colorado - Bohman, 2006 John Fielder's Best of Colorado - Fielder, 2002 ... add a recommendation here OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS The Best Hikes of Colorado (Binder edition) (Altitude Superguides) (Ring-bound) - Christina Williams, 1999 Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs - Gerry Roach, 1999. DVD available, as well. Best Hikes With Dogs Colorado - Ania Savage Colorado Recreation Map - David Rockwell Exploring Colorado's Wild Areas: A Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, Climbers, Cross-Country Skiers, Paddlers - Scott Warren, 2002 National Geographic Mountain Bike Map: Durango, Silverton, Telluride Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers - Phillips Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance - Herrero The Backpacker's Handbook - Chris Townsend, 2004 Mammals of the Rocky Mountains - Pattie, Fisher & Hartson Plants of the Rocky Mountains - Kershaw, Pojar & MacKinnon Colorado Campgrounds: The 100 Best and All the Rest - 2000 ... add a recommendation here BEST MAPS Trails Illustrated Weminuche Wilderness - 1:66,667 no. 140. 2001. Mountains between Silverton and Durango, 1:60,000. Drake Mountain Maps. USGS topographical maps, 1:24,000 are available, as well, but are not nearly as convenient to carry ... add a recommendation here BEST WEB PAGES DurangoTrain.com - wilderness connections Weminuche Wilderness - GORP Durango, Colorado Weminuche Wilderness - Wikipedia Mt. Eolus climbing - SummitPost.org National Park Service — Bear information ... add a link here BEST PHOTOS & TRIP REPORTS Chicago Basin 2005 - Mike Donato & Chris Kaffer Chicago Basin 2005 photos - longmiresmith Weminuche Wilderness - Phil Phield Weminuche Wilderness - Britt Bassett Chicago Basin 2000 - Simon Perkins Chicago Basin, Hazel Lake 1999 - John Walton Chicago Basin - Jason Halladay, The Mountain Institute, Climbing and snowboarding! Mt. Eolus / Sunlight Peak / Windom Peak - Rex, climbing Mt. Eolus photos - SummitPost.org Colorado's Wild Mountain Goats ... add a link here