La Plata Peak

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 1/16/2016, By: jknappe17
Info: Climbed La Plata today via the winter variation of the Northwest Ridge route. Despite the fresh snow, we were able to follow a well packed trench all the way to tree line and the ridge headwall. We followed the standard summer route up to 11,000‘ and deviated left / East thanks to a nice trench that has been packed down. The deepest snow of the day came just before the crux headwall which lead to a few post-holes on boulders but for a very short distance. Headwall makes for a nice scramble and we found it to be casual with just our boots. We bare-booted the entire day and only utilized an ice axe on the upper ridge past the false summit, and when we wanted to have some fun on the descent. Though we never dawned the snowshoes it was a good idea to have them just in case. Great snow pack all the way up the ridge with only the occasional knee-deep posthole. Beautiful hike! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 1/12/2016, By: tomcat32
Info: Climbed La Plata via the winter route on the NW Ridge. There is a good trench to treeline. I used snowshoes. A group ahead of me had 2 wearing microspikes and one in snowshoes. I recommend at least spikes as it‘s fairly slippery on the way down. There were a few visible tracks up the headwall to the ridge but they were mostly blown in. Right now it‘s a mix of scree and snow on the headwall. There is plenty of solid rock mixed in to make it a little easier. I thought about using my axe on the headwall but there wasn‘t enough snow to make it worthwhile. As of now along the ridge my tracks as well as the trio that I ran into are in place but they may blow in again. It‘s mixed right now along the ridge below the false summit but generally scoured enough to bareboot. I barebooted to the summit, I think the trio used microspikes. Above the false summit on the ridge where its more snowcovered it was better to stick to the edge near the rock. On the climb snowshoes would have made it a little easier but don‘t seem like they would‘ve helped on the descent on the upper ridge Some older prints were visible but mostly blown in. The toughest part was heading down from the false summit as there is just enough snow to make the hidden rocks slippery and hide the occasional deep hole between rocks. I did posthole a few times but usually nothing major although I had a few postholes thigh deep. Now is a good time before the next snow to hit La Plata. As of now I‘d recommend at least microspikes or snowshoes and maybe an axe for insurance. Not hard enough for crampons. 

Route: Winter Route
Posted On: 12/31/2015, By: Eagle Eye
Info: Much as blazintoes reported this track has been well traveled recently. From a group of 8, 6 people summited besides myself on the 29th. I didn‘t use any traction going up. Microspikes could probably have helped some in steep parts of the trail. At the ramp/wall to get on the ridge I rock climbed it and avoided snow going up. Coming down I did the opposite: put on crampons/used an ice axe and sought out snow and avoided rocks. The ridge is fairly blown clear but does have a mixture of conditions. I mostly followed and stayed on the ridge crest. 

Route: Winter Route
Posted On: 12/28/2015, By: blazintoes
Info: I created a GPS track to gain the north ridge direct on La Plata that deviates at 10,600 but didn't need it. Instead there is a bad ass trench that deviates at 11,000 (as seen in the first image). Big shout out to AWilbur77 and "Mark" who I met today as these guys did all the work. This trench will lead you to the headwall to scale to gain the ridge. My route drawn in red. Once on the ridge caution it is looooooong and tedious. Bring goggles. Image 3 looking down the north ridge. #4 up at the false summit (notorious bad picture taker, sorry). #5 notorious good picture taker. Scared the crap out of DadMike today, hilarious. He made his own tracks today; this is what the cool kids do. Also, he misplaced his Spot tracker device so if you find it this week/weekend PM him. #6 Looking west from summit. #7 looking east I have a gps track of my route today. FYI. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 11/2/2015, By: superdarren
Info: 90% of the 9.5 mile hike is snow covered, with some sections having well over a foot. The top 1,600' from the saddle are much more difficult due to the bolder fields being mostly covered. Still very doable, but add a few hours to your expected time, and be very careful so you don't fall in between the rocks. We kept a somewhat slower pace and it took 11 hours, 5 hours of which was the 2.5 miles from the saddle, to the top, and back. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/24/2015, By: mountainmaestro
Info: The mountain got a lot of snow in the recent storm. I‘d say we saw snow on at least 90% of the route. In the morning we saw a couple inches at the trailhead and there were 2 to 4 more inches for every thousand feet we climbed. Above tree line the depth of the snow was variable. At times we were postholing well past our knees. We broke trail until around 13,500 feet; it was hard work to say the least. Consequently, our speed was much slower than we anticipated. We had to turn around at that point in order to descend at a reasonable time. Four other climbers continued on to the summit, and I suspect trail has been broken all the way there at this point. Climbers will likely have reasonable conditions (with the trail broken) until the next storm. I would strongly suggest micro spikes and poles at least. Route finding can be very challenging on this peak with all the snow. Some climbers today took very creative paths up to the buttress, so the broken trail may not be optimal for all. . 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/28/2015, By: harg311
Info: I climbed La Plata via the Southwest Ridge Sunday 27 Sep. I have a couple things to add that I think are important. First getting up the head wall was pretty tough. The trail is getting wider and wider because people are trying to find a way up with some solid footing. Its basically all gravel and loose dirt and nothing to really prevent you from slipping. Being so steep made this tough. As bad as going up was, going down was worse, basically I just skied down the mountain. Someone called it "Texas Skiing". Either way it was pretty tough because it was very steep and very loose. The next part was the first false summit. On the Nat Geo Topo map the trail stops around this area. The reason is because there really is no defined trail up that first summit. You sort of make it up as you go. There are some cairns here and there and they help to a point but the main goal was to just get up and over so you can actually see the ridge leading to the real summit. The last thing is about the washed out road leading to the trail head. I stopped at this area and was prepared to hike up from there but then decided to take the Ford Explorer through it, and had no problem. Took it slow and at the correct angle. This cut off about 2 miles on the hike which I was thankful for because my legs were screaming from the steep hike. I took a couple pictures because I know some people have had questions in the past about this area. Overall this was an amazing hike. I only saw 2 groups going up when I left at 7:00. One group of 1 adult and three teen age boys turned around after they got up the head wall and saw what faced them ahead. The other two guys I passed up and met at the summit. On the way down I ran into 2 other groups. Very peaceful but hard hike. The drive up was amazing, fall colors right at their peak in most areas and past in some. 

Route: Passing through the area
Posted On: 9/26/2015, By: WillRobnett
Info: Fall colors from the South Elbert Trailhead are peak and some what coming to an end. Independence Pass is holding fall colors better than Elbert. La Plata has good colors at lower elevations. Most of Independence Pass is holding good fall colors. Maroon Bells (Maroon Peak/N. Maroon Peak) and Pyramid are the best fall colors Leadville to Aspen right now. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/16/2015, By: vidoona
Info: We took our 4x4 with 9" of ground clearance and an experienced off-road driver up past the washed-out road section across the creek and up a final steep, rocky section to the trailhead proper. We got a couple of rock hits, but nothing major. Land Rovers, Jeeps, Trucks, Xterras, and 4Runners will be able to do the same with A/T tires and an experienced driver if the road is dry. Other SUVs and crossovers will want to stop at the washed-out creek or earlier if you get uncomfortable. I would not take a passenger car very far up the road to the trailhead. We started from the trailhead proper @ 5:30 AM. Lower sections of the route are marshy in areas, but nothing too bad with some rock hopping. Otherwise, the route is in pretty good shape and well defined save for some areas on the ridge that are noted in the route guide. Summited @ 10:00 AM and was down by 12:30 PM. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/9/2015, By: proimion
Info: I have a GPX track of this route (something I had a hard time finding without subscribing to a trails web site). If you want it, contact me through my profile info here on 14ers.com. Perfect time to do this peak from SW ridge. No issues. In the marshy flats just above treeline there are a two 10-20 yard sections of ankle-deep mud. You can avoid it by carefully stepping on helper rocks, but be prepared with good footwear. As reported earlier for this route, the road is washed out about a mile from the TH. There appeared to be parking for about 6-10 vehicles at the wash-out point, and there was plenty of space left when we walked back around 1pm. There are a couple logs laid across the creek for an easy crossing by foot. If your car cannot make it past Winfield, you could also walk in from Winfield, which is 2 miles from the TH. The path from the road to the TH is a bit hard to spot in the dark, and the TH sign is nothing more than a piece of dilapidated plywood now. Go left at the plywood to begin your ascent. 

Route: Ellingwood Ridge
Posted On: 7/23/2015, By: fakejox
Info: You can ascend via Ellingwood Ridge without touching snow until the traverse from East La Plata to La Plata (at which point the route-finding and technicality is trivial. Thus, no need for traction or an axe. There are a few gullies retaining snow on the route, but they can easily be bypassed, with the exception of a section at 14,000‘ (the bypass is less evident). I‘ve added some annotated pictures which might make more sense than my words, but I‘ll do my best to describe it. En route to East La Plata, you ascend one final talus slope towards what Roach describes as a "snow-filled gully" at 14,000‘. Once you reach the base of the gully, he suggests skirting to the left (SE), ascending to the left of the gully, and traversing to the right above the gully towards the ridge crest. As my pictures show, it is difficult to skirt left as there is a 5 ft. snow drift blocking the path. Instead, cross immediately underneath the snow gully and ascend up the right side of the gully, close to the ridge crest. You can keep it around class 3 if you take your time. We topped out and descended the Northwest Ridge route. There is a 200m snow field around 13k‘ that we were able to glissade (albeit slowly, accumulating slush in our underpants). Other than that, nothing noteworthy except for several lengthy pennants of dirty toilet paper affixed to the grass significantly above timberline, immediately adjacent to the trail, fluttering in the breeze like little poop-smeared flags of surrender. Come on people... (Luckily we had some empty ziplock bags) 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/12/2015, By: Sunshineof1985
Info: GEAR (to bring): GPS, extra socks, phone, SPOT Satellite Tracker, Map, hiking boots with 2 pairs of socks, long-sleeve, wind-guard/raincoat, light weight puffy coat, day pack with water sack, food, sunscreen, lip balm. This is the most beautiful mountain I‘ve climbed so far of my 12 fourteeners. The waterfall about a half mile in when crossing the "bridge" (disconnected on one side, but safe) is breathtaking! The trail in the treeline is a little damp in some places, but not enough to get your feet wet with careful steps. The trail is straightforward, but when you climb in the boulder area, go to the far right instead of trying to go steeply up if you want to conserve energy. The peak was cold and windy as usual and I wore full on winter gear. I‘m climbing all 55 fourteeners (including Carmeron) this summer. Follow my blog and the hikes in more detail at sunshineof1985.com 

Route: Ellingwood Ridge
Posted On: 7/13/2015, By: odoyle81
Info: almost clear of snow except for 2-3 pretty steep patches and by the time you reach these, they are pretty warm and sketchy.. (started at 5am, reached these around 10am) - some you can squeeze between the top of the snow and the rock, but at least one you pretty much have to traverse.. not even sure an ax would help, but would have made me feel better about it. Maybe there is a route above these on the ridge line but I couldn't find it. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/4/2015, By: appleseeds
Info: La Plata is a great hike right now. Still some snow up there, which is pretty, but the flowers are really blooming too. If you haven‘t done the hike before, watch carefully when you get to the log bridge. There are two bundles of logs, and the one to the right is more like a dam. Look around to the left to find the actual log bridge. There are a couple of muddy spots below tree line but overall trail is dry. There are a few snow fields but they‘re easy to walk across. If you‘d rather not, most of the fields have ample rocks nearby so you can bypass without damaging the terrain. The longer fields up high are still nice for glissading, but they soften up early and aren‘t too speedy. That‘s actually really nice if you‘re new to this, like me. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/1/2015, By: mspalding
Info: As others have noted, you can avoid the snow by hiking around, but in many places it is easier to hike across. It should be gone in 2 to 3 weeks. Met some guys who slept on the top and they said it was clear all night. The snow is good for glissading, it isn‘t super fast (7mph) and that‘s a good thing. And it‘s a lot more fun than walking.