Breckenridge Destinations supports independent journalism. Click for great deals on vacation lodging in Breckenridge.
Exploring Colorado’s 14ers
Mount Elbert and Mount Massive are visible north of La Plata Peak’s summit.
Story and photos by Kim Fenske
Piercing the sky like a giant sundial over the Arkansas River Valley, 14,336 -foot La Plata Peak has an impressive knife ridge pointing southward toward Mount Oxford, Mount Belford, Missouri Peak, and Huron Peak.
La Plata is the fifth highest peak in Colorado, joining its slightly taller neighbors Mount Elbert, 14,433 feet, and Mount Massive, 14,421 feet, as leading skyscrapers of the Central Mountains.
The La Plata Peak Trailhead is a few miles west of Twin Lakes on the road to Independence Pass. The trailhead parking area is a small pad beside the highway. La Plata Gulch, the valley at the base of La Plata Peak, is accessible by a road crossing Lake Creek on the south side of Colorado Highway 82. The trail registry and entry into the forest is on the left side of the road.
A ptarmigan on La Plata Peak begins to change to summer colors.
Filed under: Colorado, hiking, recreation, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: Colorado, Colorado 14ers, hiking, La Plata Peak | 2 Comments »
Arapahoe Basin supports independent journalism. Click to visit The Legend online.
Powder's falling at Monarch!! Have you reserved your spot yet?
Innovative energy underwrites coverage of energy stories.
