Lackawanna Peak 13er South Gully Trail Guide

February 16, 2021 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

Lackawanna Peak via the South Gully is a great option for an easy to moderate snow climb and ski descent. The mountain sits at 13,825ft making it a centennial in Colorado as the 95th highest peak in the state. Lackawanna Peak is a somewhat unpopular hike and the south gully has no real trail from the start to the summit. Avalanche conditions do exist on this route and since it is south facing, waiting until the snowpack is safe is advisable for this hike.

Lackawanna Peak 13er Hike Information & Review

Lackawanna Peak Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Lackawanna Peak via South Gully

Lackawanna Peak Rating: ★★★ (⅗ Stars)

Distance: 4 Miles RT

Elevation Start: 10,400ft

Highest Point: 13,823 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,400ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate Difficulty System Explained

Snow Climb Rating: Easy to Moderate

Class: Class 2 What does this mean?

Season: Late March – Early May

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Avalanche Forecast: This route and area is avalanche prone, check conditions here.

Directions to Lackawanna Peak

Trailhead: None- Road parking on US24 past La Plata Peak TH

Getting Here: From Points East: Take US24 to Colorado 82 and head towards Independence Pass. Continue driving for 14.5 miles until you reach the small, marked parking area for La Plata Peak on your left. Continue for another mile or so to find a small pull off on your left. The hike up starts across from here. There is no official trail.

From Aspen/Points West: Take Colorado 82 and head towards Independence Pass. Drive about 28.2 miles until you reach the small, unmarked pull off on your right. If you have driven to the La Plata Peak TH, you have gone too far. The hike up starts across from here.

If visiting Lackawanna Peak in the winter, expect to only have access from points east and potentially having to add 2.4 miles of extra hiking on the road due to seasonal closures. If the road is closed, park at the La Plata TH and continue on foot.

Fees: There is no fee to Lackawanna Peak.

Parking: Parking for Lackawanna Peak is extremely limited, but usually will not be an issue since this hike is not terribly popular or well known. The road pulloff can fit about 3-4 cars with the ability to park at the La Plata Peak TH and add about 2.4 miles of road walking if need be. If parking at La Plata Peak TH, expect more cars with limited parking (10-20 total vehicles).

Summary

Camping: Independence Pass has several campgrounds which you can read more about here. Trailhead camping is an option at La Plata Peak, but extremely limited. Finally, you can dispersed or car camp along most of Independence pass but options may be limited in busy months. In the winter, car camping at the TH is your best bet.

Dogs: I personally would not take Juno on this hike. However, if you have a dog who is used to being off leash, dealing with avalanche terrain and on cold snow, you could make this work with a dog. For most though, I would leave the pets at home.

Make it a Loop: Lackawanna Peak is an out and back hike.

Trail X Factors: Snowpack

I could give 10 reasons why snowpack is the X Factor for this hike, but I will just focus on two: ascent and descent conditions. For the ascent, if you wait too late to attempt Lackawanna Peak via the South Gully, you will find yourself on a loose rock and scree fest. This will not be fun. If you are looking to board or ski down Lackawanna Peak, snow conditions will often stay into late May but the amount of skiable terrain will shrink fast and you may have to hike sections. The bottom of the gully is full of rocks that are impossible to ski over and the top bowl will melt out in spots. If you want a continuous ski from the summit to the car, it is advisable to visit this line earlier in the season.

Hike Tip(s): If you plan on skiing/boarding Lackawanna Peak via the south gully, you may want to leave the skins at home and just boot it. The south gully has been victim to a number of avalanches over the years making the base littered with downed trees that need A TON of snow to be buried. In addition, the slope angle up the south gully is fairly steep and consistent and it just wouldn’t make sense to skin up the majority of the approach.

Best Views: While hiking Lackawanna Peak, the views are basically amazing from start to finish. To the south once you hike up a bit you have a picturesque background of neighboring mountains and 14er La Plata Peak. As you work higher up the gully, views to the west including many of the Elk Mountains are flat out breathtaking. From the summit, 360 views are to be expected with my favorite to the north, west and south.

Lackawanna Peak South Gully Trail Route

Gear Needed

Mickey’s Mountain Kit
Winter Backpack – this has been my go to
Map of area or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
Crampons
Crampon Bag
Mountain Axe
Optional: Hiking Poles
Optional: Helmet (if skiing/boarding down)
Optional: Skis/Snowboard
Optional (depending on avalanche conditions): Probe, Beacon, Shovel
Optional: Approach Hiking Boots or Hiking Shoes – These are the ones that I use.
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My Trip to Lackawanna Peak via South Gully: May 2020

I have had Lackawanna Peak via the South Gully on my list of hikes “to-do” for a long time and late spring of 2020 finally presented a great window to tackle it. For a while, I had wanted to try my snowboard boots out in crampons to see if they would be an option for future couloirs and peaks. Lackawanna Peak received a very hard freeze the night before, had plenty of snow left and was a mellow line to try out my gear. Although the hike up took me FOREVER, the corn was ready to be harvested on the way down and I had a nice time snowboarding down the south gully from near the summit. View pictures from my trip below and check out a virtual trail guide for Lackawanna Peak as well.