Weminuche Wilderness: Chicago Basin Backpacking

Day 1 of 5

Arrive in Durango

Get to Durango the day before the train: it is about 3.5 hours from Albuquerque, 5.5 from Denver and 6 from Salt Lake City, and the train to Needleton leaves the depot around 8:45am. Sleep in town within walking distance of the depot.

3 stopsDay one

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

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   Drive to where are you driving from?~3.5 hr from Albuquerque · base town · Drive

   Durango is the base town for this trip. It is about 3.5 hours from Albuquerque, 5.5 hours from Denver, and 6 hours from Salt Lake City. Spend the night before so you can catch the morning train, and download offline maps before you lose cell service in the wilderness.

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   Rafting the Animas River through DurangoOptional · 2.5 hr · 4.95 from 626 reviews · activity

   If you roll into Durango by early afternoon, spend two and a half hours on the Lower Animas with a guide: Class II water through town and the Class III drop at Smelter Whitewater Park. It is the same river the train follows up to Needleton tomorrow, and a short trip keeps your legs fresh for the climb.

   Book this →
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   Stay in DurangoNight before the 8:45 train · walk to the depot · lodge

   Sleep in Durango so you can walk to the depot for the morning train. Pick up the train tickets, fuel, a bear canister if you do not own one, and the last fresh food, and repack so everything fits in the pack you will carry 3,200 feet up.

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Day 2 of 5

Train to Needleton, hike to Chicago Basin

Board the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at Durango Depot, departing around 8:45am. The three-hour ride through the Animas River Gorge is spectacular, with sheer canyon walls, rushing water, and no road access the entire route. Tell the conductor at boarding that you're stopping at Needleton. The train slows to let backpackers off at the whistle stop, then continues to Silverton.

3 stopsDay two

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

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   Durango & Silverton train to Needleton~3 hr · whistle stop · book ahead · activity

   Board the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad at Durango Depot around 8:45am. The three-hour ride through the Animas River Gorge is spectacular, with sheer canyon walls and no road access the entire route. Tell the conductor at boarding that you're stopping at Needleton; the train slows to let backpackers off at the whistle stop.

   Operator info →
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   Needle Creek Trail to Chicago Basin7 mi · 3,200 ft gain · 4 to 5 hr · Hike

   From Needleton (8,212 ft), cross the bridge over the Animas River and climb the Needle Creek Trail. The first two miles gain gradually through spruce-fir forest before the valley opens and the Needle Mountains come into view. The trail climbs steadily for 7 miles total, gaining 3,200 feet to the basin. Plan 4 to 5 hours hiking time.

   See the trail →
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   Camp in Chicago BasinEstablished sites · Needle Creek · 11,400 ft · Camp

   Set up camp at an established site along Needle Creek in the upper basin at 11,400 ft. The most popular sites are in the flat, grassy areas between the lower and upper basin. A bear canister is required and enforced. Filter all water from the creek, and spend the evening watching the sun set on Eolus, Windom, and Sunlight above.

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Day 3 of 5

Summit Windom Peak (14,087 ft)

Start before 7am. Windom Peak is the most straightforward of the three Chicago Basin 14ers, a Class 2 route with no technical moves, though the altitude and long approach require genuine fitness.

3 stopsDay three

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Windom Peak (14,087 ft)Class 2 · be off the ridge by noon · Hike

   Start before 7am. Windom Peak is the most straightforward of the three Chicago Basin 14ers, a Class 2 route with no technical moves, though the altitude and long approach require genuine fitness. From camp, follow the trail past the upper basin toward the Twin Lakes, then veer southeast up the broad talus toward the Windom-Sunlight saddle and the rocky upper ridge.

   See the trail →
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   Twin Lakes & Windom-Sunlight saddleUpper basin talus approach · Viewpoint

   The route past the upper basin runs by the Twin Lakes, then climbs the broad talus slopes toward the Windom-Sunlight saddle. The upper ridge to Windom is a straightforward rocky walk with increasingly dramatic views of the Needle Mountains and the San Juan backcountry.

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3. ⠿↑↓3SFC H / CC BY 3.0
   Second night in Chicago BasinSame base · rest and refuel · Camp

   Return to camp by early afternoon. Rest, filter water, and eat a real meal. Your legs will thank you the next day. Keeping the same base means no packing up between summit days, and the basin night sky at 11,400 ft with no artificial light is extraordinary.

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Day 4 of 5

Sunlight Peak or basin exploration

Option A, Sunlight Peak (14,059 ft, Class 3): Sunlight is the technical challenge of the three. The standard route follows the same approach as Windom to the Windom-Sunlight saddle, then traverses northwest along the ridge to the summit block. The final move to the true summit involves a Class 3 step across an exposed notch, manageable for experienced scramblers, not recommended for those uncomfortable with exposure. Do not attempt in wet or stormy conditions.

3 stopsDay four

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Sunlight Peak (14,059 ft) · Option AClass 3 · exposed summit step · Hike

   Sunlight is the technical challenge of the three. The standard route follows the same approach as Windom to the Windom-Sunlight saddle, then traverses northwest along the ridge to the summit block. The final move to the true summit involves a Class 3 step across an exposed notch, manageable for experienced scramblers but not recommended for those uncomfortable with exposure. Do not attempt in wet or stormy conditions.

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   Twin Lakes & upper basin · Option B~12,500 ft · half-day · no summit push · Viewpoint

   The Twin Lakes above camp at around 12,500 ft are a rewarding half-day objective that doesn't require a summit push: crystal-clear high-alpine lakes surrounded by talus, wildflowers in July, and views back down the basin to the valley below. This is the right call if weather is uncertain or your legs are still recovering.

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   Last night in Chicago BasinSit with the silence · Camp

   Return to camp by early afternoon. This is your last full night in the basin, so take an hour to sit with the silence. At 11,400 feet with no artificial light, the night sky here is extraordinary.

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Day 5 of 5

Hike out to Needleton, train to Durango

The return train from Needleton to Durango typically departs between 3:30 and 4pm, so confirm the exact schedule when you buy tickets, as it varies by date. Allow at least 5 hours for the 7-mile descent (3 to 3.5 hours hiking time, plus a buffer for tired legs on the rocky trail and time to wait at the crossing).

3 stopsDay five

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Descend to Needleton7 mi down · 3 to 3.5 hr · allow 5+ · Hike

   Start descending by 9 to 10am. The downhill through the Needle Creek valley passes through some of the most beautiful spruce forest in Colorado, with the Animas River audible well before you reach Needleton. Allow at least 5 hours for the 7-mile descent: 3 to 3.5 hours hiking, plus a buffer for tired legs on the rocky trail and time to wait at the crossing.

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   Return train · Needleton to DurangoDeparts ~3:30 to 4pm · flag it down · activity

   The return train from Needleton to Durango typically departs between 3:30 and 4pm, so confirm the exact schedule when you buy tickets, as it varies by date. Wait at the whistle stop crossing and the train will stop when you flag it down. The ride back to Durango at sunset, exhausted and satisfied, is one of the great end-of-trip moments in American backpacking.

   Operator info →
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   Back in DurangoBase town · hotels & a hot shower · Viewpoint

   The train rolls back into Durango Depot at sunset. Spend the night in town to clean up, eat a real meal, and rest before the drive home. Durango has plenty of historic downtown hotels and an easy walk from the depot.

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