Weminuche Wilderness Backpacking, Durango, CO, August 8-16, 2025

Start
August 08, 2025
End
August 16, 2025
Location
Weminuche Wilderness, Durango, CO

Registration

Deposit Trip Fee Payment – $315.00
Deposit Trip Fee Payment is due at sign up.
Lottery Wait List/$50 Sneak Preview Deposit – $50.00
Sneak preview registration is February 1-3, 2025. Your name will be included on the list. If the number of participants registered exceeds the number allowed, there will be a lottery drawing to determine who is on the participant list and who is on the waitlist.
The results of the drawing may not be available until February 25th. The $50 sneak preview payment will hold a spot (participant list or waitlist) until March 4, 2025, when the rest of the deposit or trip total is due.
WAIT LIST Sign Up Trip Fee Payment – $625.00
Wait List Payment is due at sign up. This registration DOES NOT QUARANTEE a place on the trip. You will be notified when space becomes available.

Weminuche Wilderness Backpacking

Weminuche Wilderness, Durango, CO

August 8-16, 2025

Co-Trip Leaders: Harry Morris and Jimmy Hodges

Type of Trip: Food/Hiking

Trip Cost/Deposit: $625/$315

Cancellation Date and full payment: May 8, 2025

Wilderness Level: 4

Trip Difficulty: Rugged - up to 5000 ft elevation gain in a day

Policy on Fitness Self-Assessment

Level 5: Applies to backpacking trips on very rugged trails or off-trail with multi-day backpacks (35-45 pounds). Expect prolonged, rugged hiking with very strenuous, difficult sections. Terrain can be steep, loose, rocky and/or exposed. You must be able to exercise vigorously at home (extended runs, swims, bike rides, etc..) to join a hike with a Level 5 rating.

Group Size: 8/7 Maximum/Minimum

Adults Only

The Weminuche Loop is a classic 50 Mile horseshoe hike starting at Elk Park and ending at Needleton. This backpacking trip is near Silverton Colorado. This is a very rugged trail, and you should be able to hike 10 miles with elevation changes of 5000 feet up and down.

We will travel by van and stop in Kansas to spend the night at a campground. The next day we will travel to Durango Colorado and stay at a campground to acclimatize to the elevation. Durango is about 6,000 feet. The next day we will board the Narrow Gauge Steam Train which will take us to Elk Park and drop us off in the Weimnuche Wilderness area to start the trip. The plan is for five days and four nights. After our hike, we will catch the train back to Durango before heading home in the van. We will stop on the way at a campground, then make it back to Indiana.

The trip fee covers transportation in a rented van, camping fees, train fare and luggage fee for the train.

Participants provide their own meals on the trail. You will need to have cash or credit card for meals on the road.

Questions may be submitted to ciwcinfo@gmail.com.

All trip participants must fill out and submit a CIWC Medical Form and Long Waiver Form.

Effective on all trips, there will be a $50 non refundable registration fee. This fee will be assessed to those who sign up for a trip, get on the roster and then later cancel. Even cancelling before the cancel date. Those who never make the active roster (i.e. those who stay on the waitlist) will NOT be charged the $50 cancellation fee.