If you’re planning to climb Mount Eolus, you might as well add North Eolus too. The two summits share a ridge, and from the notch between them, North Eolus is only about 0.2 mile round trip and 250 feet of extra climbing. It’s a short, fairly easy Class 3 scramble on grippy rock, with some of the best views of Eolus, Sunlight, and Windom you’ll get all trip.
Like the other Chicago Basin 14ers, it’s hard to reach. You’ll ride a train and backpack about 6 miles into the Weminuche Wilderness before summit day, so it’s worth making the most of your time there. Plan your trip with my North Eolus route guide below.
These peaks can be unpredictable and dangerous. Help is often hours or days away: your safety is primarily your responsibility. Prepare for your trek, understand your limits, be aware of the risks, and equip yourself with the necessary skills and gear.
The standard route on North Eolus is its South Ridge, which starts at the notch between North Eolus and Mount Eolus. You’ll reach that notch on the Eolus route: up to Twin Lakes, west across the upper basin, up a Class 2 ramp, and through a short chute to the ridge. A common plan is to climb Eolus first, come back to the notch, and scramble up North Eolus on the way down.
From the Needleton stop (about 8,220 feet), cross the Animas River on the suspension bridge and follow the Needle Creek Trail upstream. Stay left where the Animas River Trail splits off a little under a mile in. The trail’s easy to follow but climbs close to 3,000 feet to Chicago Basin, where dispersed campsites sit between about 10,800 and 11,100 feet. Most people call it about 6 miles, though published figures run from 5 to 7 depending on where you camp.
On summit morning, follow the main trail up the basin to a signed junction near 11,200 feet, roughly half a mile above the upper campsites, and turn left toward Twin Lakes. The trail climbs through the last trees and over slabs, then switchbacks up a steep slope with stream crossings near 11,700 and 12,300 feet. Twin Lakes is your last easy water stop.
At the first lake, take the Eolus trail that branches left, cross the outlet stream, and head west past slabs and below cliffs. Around 13,300 feet you’ll turn left into a boulder field and follow a rocky path through it. Just above, near 13,500 feet, a cairn (a small, human-made pile of rocks) marks the bottom of a ledge system that angles up and right. This Class 2 ramp has a couple of tilted slabs to cross carefully. At the top, walk north on easier ground to a flat area below the ridge.
Look for a notch in the ridge above a short, steep, greenish chute. The chute’s the direct way up, with a few brief Class 3 moves, or you can angle right and zigzag up easier slabs. From the notch, Eolus and the Catwalk are to the south (left). North Eolus is the rocky ridge rising to the north (right). Take a good look around so you’ll recognize the notch when you come back down to it.
Turn north and scramble up the ridge. The rock is grippy and the climbing is short. It steepens as you near the top, but it never gets harder than fairly easy Class 3. Pick the most solid-looking line, keep three points of contact (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) on the steeper steps, and you’ll be on top in a few minutes.
If you’re climbing both, the usual plan is to cross the Catwalk and climb Eolus first, then return to the notch and tag North Eolus on the way down. My Mount Eolus guide covers the Catwalk and the east face.
Downclimb the South Ridge to the notch, then descend the chute or the slabs beside it, retrace the ramp and the boulder field, and follow the trail past Twin Lakes back to camp. Take the chute slowly, and watch for people below you before you send anything loose.
This topo map shows Chicago Basin and the route toward Eolus and North Eolus. The drawn line is approximate and doesn’t follow the trail to Twin Lakes or the ramp, so use it for planning and follow the route description and cairns on the mountain. Download a map to your phone, carry a printed backup, and bring a compass or GPS app in case your electronics fail. The 14ers.com North Eolus route and its linked Eolus route have photos and a downloadable GPX file.
You’re committing to a train ticket and several days in the backcountry, so check conditions before you book and again a few days before you leave. Snow can sit on the ramp and in the chute below the notch into early summer, and the first fall storms can glaze the upper rock with ice.
Back from a trip? Post a conditions report on 14ers.com. It’ll help the next person plan.
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Afternoon storms build fast over the Needle Mountains in summer, and the ridge between Eolus and North Eolus is no place to be when they hit. Start early, set a firm turnaround time, and skip the scramble if the rock is wet. Check these forecasts before you board the train, because cell service in the basin is spotty at best.
Read my lightning safety tips for 14ers before you go.
No road reaches Chicago Basin, so the trailhead for North Eolus is the Needleton flag stop on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, at about 8,220 feet. Most people ride the train in. If you’d rather walk, there’s a long hike-in option from the Purgatory Flats Trailhead off US 550. There’s no parking, restroom, or water at Needleton itself.
Option 1: Ride the train to Needleton
Parking in Durango: The railroad’s lot is at 209 W. College Drive, at US 550 and College Drive. In 2026 it’s $10 a day for cars and $20 for RVs, and you pay for every day you’re gone. Camping in the lot isn’t allowed. See the railroad’s parking page for details.
Getting home: Ask which afternoon train stops at Needleton on your return date when you book. To catch it, stand on the east side of the tracks and wave your hands back and forth across your knees so the engineer knows to stop. If you didn’t buy a round trip ahead of time, the conductor sells seats for $35 (bring exact fare) when there’s space.
Option 2: Hike in from Purgatory
Can’t get a train seat, or bringing a dog? You can walk in. The Purgatory Flats Trailhead is about 26 miles north of Durango on US 550. Across the highway from Purgatory Resort’s main entrance, turn east on Tacoma Drive. The trailhead is on the right in about 0.2 mile, with parking on the left. It’s often full on summer and fall weekends, so don’t count on a late arrival.
That’s roughly 9.5 extra miles each way, and since the first 4 miles are all downhill, your hike out ends with about 1,000 feet of climbing. Horse outfitters use the Animas River Trail, so step aside and let stock pass.
Climbing any of Colorado’s high peaks requires careful preparation and the right gear to ensure safety and enjoyment. Here’s a comprehensive gear list for this climb:
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Here are some specific items I recommend bringing with you to tackle this route:
Check out my complete 14er packing list here to make sure you bring everything you need to succeed and stay safe.
The right map for this peak:
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For North Eolus specifically:
There aren’t any campgrounds in Chicago Basin, just dispersed sites (informal, first-come spots with no facilities) between about 10,800 and 11,100 feet. The Forest Service notes there’s nowhere to camp along Needle Creek until you reach the basin. Stay on the left side of the creek as you hike up and pick a spot that’s already been used. Plenty of people camp right by the trail, but you’ll find quieter sites back in the trees.
Mountain goats and your food
Chicago Basin is famous for its mountain goats, and they aren’t shy. Goats crave salt, and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative says that in busy spots they’ll dig into latrine areas and poke around campsites looking for it. Marmots and other small animals will chew into packs, too.
Bears live here too. The San Juan National Forest posted an alert in August 2026 that bear activity is very high across the forest and asked campers to secure food and scented items away from camp. I looked at the bigger picture in my piece on Colorado’s 2026 bear reports.
The night before the train
Junction Creek Campground sits about 5 miles northwest of Durango, and Haviland Lake Campground is about 19 miles north of town off US 550, on the way to the Purgatory trailhead. Both charge $32 a night for a standard site in 2026, both take reservations, and both stay open through October 18 this year.
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Durango’s the easiest base for a Chicago Basin trip. The depot is downtown, so a night in town means a short walk or drive to the train, and you’ll find gear shops and places to eat for the night you get back. If you’re hiking in from Purgatory, the lodging around Purgatory Resort puts you right across the highway from the trailhead, about 26 miles (roughly 40 minutes) north of Durango. Silverton is farther up US 550, but since trains from Silverton don’t stop at Needleton on the way down, it works better as a stop after your trip than as a starting point.
With more and more people visiting Colorado and heading outdoors with each passing season, it is more important than ever to recreate responsibly by using Leave No Trace practices on this peak. Here are the LNT 7 Principles and some relevant tips:
By following these principles, you can ensure your hiking and camping adventures are environmentally-conscious and preserve the natural beauty of the great outdoors for future adventurers.
Check out these 50+ Leave No Trace tips for more information and to learn more.
By the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative’s (CFI) count, every Chicago Basin 14er saw fewer than 1,000 hiker days in 2025, a tiny number next to the peaks near Denver. That use is squeezed into one short summer, though, and almost all of it funnels through the same campsites and the same Twin Lakes trail. That’s why a few habits make a real difference here:
There are more than 3,000 search and rescue missions in Colorado every year. Don’t become one of them!
Follow these tried-and-true practices to mitigate your risk on this climb and improve your odds of making it back to the trailhead safely.
By following these safety tips, you can significantly reduce the risks associated with a high peak like this one and have a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Learn more by reviewing my complete mountain safety guide.
North Eolus is the easiest scramble around the Eolus notch, but it’s still Class 3 terrain a long way from help. Keep these hazards in mind:
North Eolus is in the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado’s largest wilderness area. In 2026 the Forest Service doesn’t require a permit or registration for recreational visits anywhere in the Weminuche, and there’s no fee to climb. The train has its own fares. Here’s what the wilderness rules mean for your trip:
Check the forest alerts page for current fire restrictions, and read the forest’s wilderness regulations and Weminuche trip planning guide before you go.
North Eolus stands 14,042 feet tall by the LiDAR figure 14ers.com uses. Older maps list 14,039 feet, and 2024 National Geodetic Survey data puts it at 14,039.8 feet. It isn’t a ranked peak, because it doesn’t rise at least 300 feet above the saddle connecting it to Mount Eolus, the usual test for counting a summit as its own mountain. Since it’s so easy to add to an Eolus climb, though, it gets plenty of attention, and 14ers.com and many peak-baggers include it on their 14er lists.
Like the main peak, North Eolus takes its name from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds. The Hayden Survey gave Mount Eolus that name in 1874. In Homer’s Odyssey, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag holding every unfavorable wind, and his crew opens it just as they come in sight of home.
North Eolus is part of the Needle Mountains, an island of ancient granite in the middle of the much younger volcanic San Juans. Geologists call the rock here the Eolus Granite and date it to roughly 1.46 billion years ago. It’s rough and grippy, which is a big reason the scramble feels so secure when it’s dry.
From the summit you look straight across the basin at Windom Peak and Sunlight Peak, with Mount Eolus just south along the ridge. Plenty of people climb two or more of them from one camp in Chicago Basin.
Views from high on the Eolus massif, looking over the Needle Mountains and down to Twin Lakes.
Use these resources to keep planning your North Eolus trip:
It’s Class 3, but a short and fairly easy one. The scramble from the notch is only a few hundred feet on grippy rock. Most of the effort is getting to the notch, which takes you up the same Class 2 ramp and short Class 3 chute as the Mount Eolus route.
About 0.2 mile round trip and 250 feet of gain from the notch between the two peaks, according to 14ers.com. For most people that’s a short detour.
It’s above 14,000 feet, but it doesn’t rise 300 feet above its saddle with Mount Eolus, so it isn’t ranked as a separate mountain. 14ers.com and many hikers’ checklists include it anyway.
A common plan is to climb Eolus first, then tag North Eolus on the way back through the notch. That way you tackle the harder peak while you’re fresh and the weather is usually better.
Most people ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to the Needleton flag stop, then backpack about 6 miles up the Needle Creek Trail. You can also hike in from the Purgatory Flats Trailhead on US 550, which adds roughly 9.5 miles each way.
No. In 2026 the Forest Service doesn’t require a permit or registration for individuals in the Weminuche Wilderness. You’ll need a train reservation, made by phone, unless you hike in.
Not on the train, since it doesn’t carry pets. Dogs that hike in from Purgatory must be under control in the wilderness, but the Class 3 chute and ridge are a tough spot for a dog, and the basin’s goats are another reason to leave yours at home.
Notice: The material presented in this route guide may not be comprehensive or precise and should not be solely relied upon when planning your climb. Inadequate experience, physical fitness, supplies, or equipment may result in injury or fatality.
The Next Summit and the author(s) of this hiking guide offer no guarantees, neither explicit nor implied, regarding the accuracy or dependability of the information provided.
By utilizing the information herein, you agree to indemnify and absolve The Next Summit and the hiking guide author(s) from any claims and demands against them, including any legal fees and expenses.
Alex Derr is an Eagle Scout, climber, and environmental policy expert located in Denver, Colorado. He created The Next Summit to help others stay safe exploring the mountains and advocate to preserve the peaks for the future. Follow him on Linkedin or Twitter or click here to contact him.
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