The unincorporated community of Needleton is very secluded east of Highway 550. It’s mainly visited by hikers departing on overnight backpacking trips into the Chicago Basin.
It resides at 8,277 feet of elevation in San Juan County. Nearly everyone who comes by Needleton does so via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. There is one of two remaining wooden water tanks for this railroad located close by to the north.
People who exit the Durango train in Needleton mostly do so to hike out into the Chicago Basin. They bring their backpacks and overnight camp in the Weminuche Wilderness. They let the train know the day they will be returning and await at the flag stop for pick up.
History
It was formerly a station along the now-defunct Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. It had its own post office, which operated from May 1882 to January 1919. The former train station was torn to pieces in a 1927 flood.
Activities near Needleton
Railroads:
Towns: