Needleton Train Stop provides wilderness access via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (May 19–October 17), with a $35 per-person fare and a 40-person daily capacity limit requiring advance phone reservations.

The stop serves as the trailhead for Needle Creek Trail (6 miles to Chicago Basin) and offers access to the upper Animas River canyon for backpacking and fishing, though the train ride itself takes approximately 2. 5 hours from Durango.

Anglers should note that the upper Animas above Silverton runs clear and fast with limited holding water, and the area is in the Weminuche Wilderness with special regulations including no campfires in the Needle Creek drainage.