Windom Peak

Drive to Durango and follow signs to the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It's near McDonald's and has a large parking area nearby. Buy a ticket for the train that stops at Needleton and ride the train 2.5 hours (~30 miles) to the Needleton stop. From here, it's a 6 mile hike to reach Chicago Basin.

First, use the Chicago Basin Approach to reach Chicago Basin where dispersed camp sites can be found between 10,800' and 11,100'. From your high camp, follow the well-established trail northeast toward the end of the basin ( 1). Near 11,200', turn left toward Twin Lakes at a signed junction ( 2). This trail provides access to Windom, Sunlight, and Eolus. Ascend through remaining forest ( 3) until the trail becomes less defined as you navigate over and around some rocky slabs ( 4). Near 11,400', exit the trees to see two streams on the slope beneath Twin Lakes ( 5). At 11,700', cross the first stream, veer right, and follow switchbacks up steeper terrain ( 6). Continue to the second stream crossing, near 12,300' ( 7). Haul a bit higher to reach Twin Lakes at 12,500' ( 8).

Stay right and follow the trail east around the first lake ( 9). Shortly after, veer right again and ascend via switchbacks up a slope ( 10). After the trail swings back toward the middle of the basin and levels off, continue to a prominent cairn above 13,000' ( 11). Continue a bit further east to another cairn ( 12). At this point, cairns diverge left toward Sunlight Peak. If aiming for Windom, take time to carefully study the route options, as no continuous trail exists ( 13). Next, aim to reach the saddle between Windom and 13er Peak 18. Descend slightly and traverse angled slabs just right of the basin's center to avoid loose rock to your right, which some hikers use as a more direct route to/from Windom. Continue east along these slabs until you reach approximately 13,300', then turn right and ascend toward the saddle ( 14).

From the 13,450-foot saddle , 650 feet of climbing along Windom's west ridge remains ( 15,  16, and  17). While primarily staying on the left side of the ridge, follow cairns leading to a small notch at 13,800' ( 18). Here, the summit remains out of view, and navigating larger rocks becomes slightly more challenging. Near 13,900', stay left of the ridge as you approach the top ( 19). Just before the summit, find one of two breaks in the ridge providing easy access to the final pitch ( 20). Approach it and climb left to reach the summit ( 21).

To climb Sunlight after completing Windom: From the saddle at the base of Windom's west ridge, descend to approximately 13,200' near the basin's center and ascend the gully leading to the saddle between Sunlight and "Sunlight Spire." Then follow the upper portions of the Sunlight Peak South Face route description. Combining Windom and Sunlight via a crossover in the basin results in a round-trip distance of nearly 7 miles and an elevation gain of approximately 4,000 feet from a camp in Chicago Basin.

IMPORTANT: This route enters the Weminuche Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.