Windom Peak is the easiest of the Chicago Basin 14ers, but that doesn’t make it easy. Before summit day you’ll ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad into the Weminuche Wilderness and backpack about 6 miles up to a base camp. From there, a long walk through the upper basin leads to a rocky ridge and a short, easy Class 3 scramble onto the summit blocks.
My Windom Peak guide below covers the train, the hike-in option from Purgatory, camping with the basin’s mountain goats, the route, and how to add Sunlight Peak safely. Plan ahead, and give yourself enough days to enjoy the basin.
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 is the West Ridge. From a camp in Chicago Basin, you’ll climb to Twin Lakes, cross the upper basin, reach the saddle between Windom and Peak 18 (a neighboring 13er), and follow the rocky ridge east to the summit. It’s a full day from camp. Aim to be on top by late morning.
From the Needleton stop (about 8,220 feet), cross the Animas River on the suspension bridge and follow the Needle Creek Trail upstream, staying left where the Animas River Trail splits off a little under a mile in. It’s a steady climb of 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 the last spot where it’s easy to fill up on water.
At the first lake, stay right and follow the trail east around the shore. Bear right again soon after and climb a set of switchbacks. The trail swings back toward the middle of the basin and levels off. Continue to a big cairn (a human-made pile of rocks marking the way) just above 13,000 feet, then a little farther east to a second cairn. That’s where the cairns for Sunlight bear left. Don’t follow them if you’re heading to Windom.
There’s no continuous trail from here, so take a minute to study the slope before you go. Your goal is the saddle between Windom and Peak 18, south of you. Drop slightly and traverse the angled slabs just right of the basin’s center. That keeps you off the loose rock farther right, which some people use as a shortcut. Follow the slabs east to about 13,300 feet, then turn right and climb to the saddle. It’s a good spot to rest, and you’ll want to check the weather here too.
About 650 feet of climbing remains. Follow cairns up the ridge, staying mostly on its left side, to a small notch near 13,800 feet. From there the summit’s still out of sight, and the boulders get bigger, so pick your footing carefully. Near 13,900 feet, stay left of the ridge crest as you close in on the top.
Just below the summit, look for one of two breaks in the ridge. Either gives you easy Class 3 access to the final pitch. Pick the one that looks best to you and scramble onto the summit blocks. You’re standing on the highest point in La Plata County.
Retrace the ridge to the saddle and reverse the route to camp. If you’re adding Sunlight, don’t descend Windom’s northwest face straight toward it. In summer it’s steep, loose, and dangerous, and it isn’t worth the shortcut. Instead, go back down the West Ridge to the saddle, descend north about 150 feet to flatter ground near 13,300 feet, traverse northeast across slabs, and angle up an easy slope to meet the Sunlight route near 13,500 feet. From there, follow my Sunlight Peak guide.
This topo map shows upper Chicago Basin and Windom Peak. It doesn’t show a route line, so pair it with the route description and the 14ers.com West Ridge route, which has a detailed line, photos, and a downloadable GPX file. Download a map to your phone, carry a printed backup, and bring a compass or GPS app in case your electronics fail.
Upper Chicago Basin, on the way to Windom.
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 linger on the slabs below the saddle and on the ridge into early summer, and fall storms can coat the summit blocks in ice.
Back from a trip? Post a conditions report on 14ers.com. It’ll help the next person plan.
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Summer afternoons in the Needle Mountains often bring fast-building thunderstorms, and Windom’s ridge is a long way above any shelter. Start early, set a firm turnaround time before you reach the saddle, and head down if clouds start stacking up. 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 Windom Peak 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 Windom 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.
Windom is the most moderate route in Chicago Basin, but it’s still a remote, rocky 14er where a simple fall can turn serious. Keep these hazards in mind:
Windom Peak 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.
Windom Peak stands 14,089 feet tall by the LiDAR figure 14ers.com uses. Older maps list 14,082 feet, and 2024 National Geodetic Survey data puts it at 14,087 feet. By the newer LiDAR and NGS figures, it’s the highest peak in the Needle Mountains, the highest point in La Plata County, and the high point of the entire San Juan River drainage. It sits on the east side of upper Chicago Basin, with Sunlight Peak just to the north and Mount Eolus and North Eolus across the basin to the west.
The U.S. Geological Survey named the peak when it mapped the Needle Mountains in 1902. It honors William Windom (1827 to 1891), who served Minnesota as a congressman and senator and was Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents James Garfield and Benjamin Harrison.
Windom, Sunlight, and Eolus are an island of ancient granite in the middle of the much younger volcanic San Juans. The rock, called the Eolus Granite, formed roughly 1.46 billion years ago, and its pink feldspar gives these peaks their warm color. The granite breaks along big fractures, which is why the summit is a pile of huge blocks. During the Ice Age, glaciers on Sunlight and Windom merged and flowed down toward Chicago Basin, carving the steep walls and cirques (bowl-shaped basins) around the upper basin.
The Chicago Basin peaks are among the most remote 14ers in Colorado. The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative estimated fewer than 1,000 hiker days on each of them in 2025, and in 2026 the railroad caps Needleton drop-offs at 40 people a day. Still, nearly everyone shares one basin and one trail to Twin Lakes, and the Forest Service describes Chicago Basin as a beautiful but crowded backpacking destination.
Looking down on Twin Lakes from high above the basin.
Use these resources to keep planning your Windom Peak trip:
It’s the most moderate of the Chicago Basin 14ers. Most of the route is rough Class 2 over slabs and talus, with an easy Class 3 scramble onto the summit blocks. The hard part is the logistics: a train ride, a 6-mile backpack, and a remote setting.
Older guides call it Class 2 or 2+. 14ers.com rates the West Ridge easy Class 3 because of the short scramble onto the summit blocks. Plan for a few hands-on moves near the top.
Yes, and lots of people pair them. From a Chicago Basin camp, it’s close to 7 miles and 4,000 feet of gain. Use the crossover through the Windom and Peak 18 saddle, and don’t go straight up or down Windom’s northwest face.
Most people ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad from Durango to the Needleton flag stop, booked by phone, then backpack about 6 miles up the Needle Creek Trail to Chicago Basin. You can also hike in from the Purgatory Flats Trailhead on US 550, which adds roughly 9.5 miles each way.
Plan on at least two nights. Most people ride in and hike to camp on day one, climb on day two, and head out that afternoon or the next day.
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 unless you hike in from Purgatory.
Not on the train, which doesn’t carry pets. Dogs can hike in from Purgatory if they’re under control, but the long approach, rough talus, and the basin’s mountain goats make it a hard trip for a dog.
William Windom, a Minnesota congressman and senator who served as Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents James Garfield and Benjamin Harrison. The U.S. Geological Survey named the peak in 1902.
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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