I am considering taking my 14-year-old son backpacking in the Weminuche Wilderness in early July (7/4 – 7/9, give or take a day). Specifically, I would like to do the semi-loop from Elk Park to Needleton over 5-6 days, using the train to shorten the hike in/out. I have a few questions:
- I am guessing the hardest thing early season would be the stream crossings. Are any particularly bad? How’s the Vallecito at that time of year? Is early July too early in this regard?
- My 2nd concern is lingering snow. Are the passes usually snow-free by that time? Obviously it depends on the year, and it’s too early to tell what this year will be like. My understanding is that we are currently slightly behind on snowpack, but I will monitor it over the upcoming months. But if there’s a particular pass that holds snow for a long time, please let me know. We both have microspikes, which we could bring. I can get my son an ice axe and teach him how to use it beforehand, but I would only want to do so if the pass holding snow is not too steep/sketchy.
- How long in advance do you need to book train tickets these days before they’re all gone?
- If anyone has any tips on which stretches to camp at (or not camp at), please let me know. I haven’t looked into this yet.
- Bonus question: If anyone has any ideas on a safe place to stash a car for a week or a little more, anywhere between Grand Junction and Silverton, please let me know. We will be heading out to OR on a family trip the week before, and it would sure be nice to just pick up the stashed car on our way back to Denver, thus saving my son and I the drive to Denver and then back again for the backpacking trip. I’m not sure if there is somewhere where you can pay a small fee and keep your car (ideally in the Grand Junction area).
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
