La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge Hike Guide
La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge is the least popular way up this 14er located in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. As the name dictates, the approach is from the South which is a mix of an official trail and a handful of boulder fields in order to summit this mountain. This is a higher Class 2 approach that requires a good amount of route finding, especially during the final 1,000ft of elevation gain. In the Summer, this trail is full of beautiful wildflowers and tremendous views of the neighboring peaks in the area.
La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge Quick Facts
La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)
Virtual Trail Guide: La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge
Distance: 7.75 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 10,798ft
High Point: 14,344ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,600ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 5-7 Hours
Difficulty: Hard- What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 – What does this mean?
Season: June – October (Expect snow outside of this period)
Weather: Check the Weather Forecast
Crowds: Low
Directions to La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge
Trailhead: West Winfield/La Plata Peak South
Getting Here: To access the trailhead, turn onto Chaffee County Road 390 (20 miles south of Leadville, 14.5 miles north of Buena Vista). Take 390 (starts off paved, turns into a well maintained dirt road) for 11.8 miles until you reach the replicated ghost town of Winfield. Turn right here and follow the road for another 1.8 miles to the lower trailhead parking area. After Winfield, the road does get a lot more rough but should still be passable with a higher clearance AWD, I don’t necessarily think that 4×4 is required.
Parking: Parking is very limited at this trailhead, with space for only about 10 cars. However, since this hike is not extremely popular you should not have a hard time finding a space. There are no restrooms at this parking area, the closest ones are down the road at the Missouri Gulch Trailhead.
Permits/Fee: There is no fee to hike La Plata Peak from any direction.
Summary
Dogs: Dogs are allowed on this hike but I would only bring a dog that is extremely good in talus and loose conditions with seasoned paws. This entire hike is a Wilderness Area so dogs should be kept on a leash.
Camping: There are several camping spots along County Road 390 but the best spots in the area are located after Winfield in my opinion. All spots can fill up on busy weekends.
Make it a Loop: La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge is an out and back hike but you could easily descend the standard trail on the North side if you were able to get a ride back to your vehicle.
Hike Tip(s): Route Finding / Loose Terrain
Although about half of the hike up La Plata Peak Southwest Ridge has a trail that is easy to follow and the other half is loose terrain with a lot of route finding. Given this terrain, I would highly recommend hiking poles to help stabilize yourself in the steep and loose terrain going up and down. Additionally, in the final 1,000ft of climbing try to pick a line that looks like the path of least resistance. There are many social trails but no one official trail so just pick something that works for you and have patience with it. I found that many of the trails just stop after a few hundred feet.
Trail X Factors: Mine
About halfway up the slopes to gain the initial saddle, there is a small mine located just off the trail. I would not recommend going inside the mine, they are very dangerous.
Best Views: Once you gain treeline, this hike is truly stunning from start to finish. I LOVED the wildflowers, spanning Sawatch Range views and of course the Summit views from La Plata Peak.
Gear Needed
- 14er Day Hike Packing List
- Men’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Cyklon
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- Backpack (Winter)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Base Layers
- T Shirt
- Mid Layer
- Rain Jacket / Shell
- Outer Layer
- Pants
- Shorts
- Socks
- Food & Water
- Optional: Water Filter
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Climbing Helmet
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro Max 2, Drone, Insta360
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