| Date | Status Information Posted by 14ers.com Forum Users | Posted By |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-03 | as of 9/28 no problems. Hard to catch that last turn up the spur in the dark. look for stacked cairn and trust it turn right will be another cairn 100 ft up road then road goes into aspens. Park at the clearing before road turns up right and looks really rocky, TH/register box is just up the road with little parking at it. | larkinrx2 |
| 2009-08-04 | Just as a reference for others wondering about this trailhead, we took a Subaru Outback Sport (not a full Outback but the Impreza frame) with 6.1" of clearance to within 1/4 mile of the trailhead and 1.2 miles past the "4WD, High Clearance Only" sign. We parked at the beginning of the open meadow just before the trailhead. The road isn‘t too bad with careful driving and there were a couple of Outbacks at the trailhead (parking area, not register). | E-dorvs |
| 2009-08-02 | 08/02/09 summit went without a hitch. Was able to drive up to 50yd below trailhead registration in a stock 2005 4runner 4x4. 2wd would likely work, but I can attest to 4x4 working with enough clearance. Just a couple of tricky rocks near the top, but otherwise just a slow and bumpy ride. | darklich14 |
| 2009-07-29 | Climbed LaPlata on 7/24/09 and thought this trailhead description was accurate. Our xterra made it to the top just fine. Might be tricky to get an Outback up there though. | Aggie_05 |
| 2008-12-11 | As of 12/11 there is snow but passible especially by a 4WD. | theocdb3 |
| 2008-11-02 | The road between Winfield and the trailhead (junction) is a bit rough, but not any worse than the bulk of the Gray‘s Peak road. There was some ice on the road in sloped spots that made 4wd handy, but probably not necessary. I wouldn‘t recommend driving very much past the turnoff to the actual trailhead, the road gets quite a bit rougher, and there are spots with tall rocks in tight corners, may be difficult to navigate without a spotter. Parking just up the road from the junction only adds about the 200 yards to the hike. | emcee smith |
| 2008-06-22 | Road is clear all the way to the trailhead; it is very rough and rocky beyond the cemetery, and there are 2 stream crossings. | KeithK |
| 2008-06-22 | At Winfield spoke with local summer residents who advised that remains of a winter snow avalanche still blocked access to the trail head at 10,700 ft. BTW another avalanche from the north side of the valley at Winfield hit a cabin knocking it off it‘s foundation. | Hardboater |
| 2008-03-07 | Rode a snowmobile to 10,700‘ in the meadow where the smaller road turns uphill. Deep snow in the area, but sleds have packed down the trail to this area. | BillMiddlebrook |
| 2007-07-09 | 07-08-07 The trail leading west of Winfield is pretty much clear all the way to the open field just shy of the trailhead. There is posted for high clearance 4x4 only. A smart driver can make it with AWD. | ccunnin |
| 2007-05-26 | The road to Winfield is clear and the 4x4 road is clear for at least a mile. I didn't drive any further, but I didn't encounter any snow. There is quite a bit of runoff water running down the 4x4 road though. | Chris P. |
| 2006-11-13 | Road is clear to Winfield, could make it at least partways to the 4WD trailhead if willing to drive over boulders with several inches of snow | SarahT |
| 2005-06-30 | Drove the 4Runner to the 4x4 parking area without any problems on 18Jun2005. Some big rocks make a high clearance vehicle necessary. | Fluffy |
| 2005-05-22 | I drove the Clear Creek road today, and the road is clear and passable for all vehicles to the Winfield townsite. I did not continue beyond the town. | chicago transplant |
| Location: | Sawatch Range |
| 14ers Served: | La Plata Peak |
| Road Type: | 2WD dirt to Winfield. 4WD to 10,700'. |
| Winter Access: | Closed near 9,200 feet - many miles below the TH. |
| Directions: | From Leadville: Drive 20 miles south on U.S. 24 and turn right on the Chaffee County 390 road.
From Buena Vista: Drive 14.5 miles north on U.S. 24 and turn left on the Chaffee County 390 road.
On the 390 road (dirt), drive 11.3 miles to Winfield. There are a bunch of log buildings here. From Winfield, continue north for a short distance (less than 100 yards) to a fork. Go right up a road bordered by a fence that may present a challenge for some passenger cars. After about 0.4 miles, the road passes the Winfield Cemetery, which is marked by an explanatory sign. Shortly thereafter, there is a sign that warns cars without high clearance not to continue, and a loop that allows for some good parking places. Alternately, the first part of the road is not much worse than what has already been traveled, and some parking spots can be found along its sides. About 1.4 miles after the sign, in a meadow at about 10,700’, a rough but obvious road rises to the right. (The turn has coordinates 38˚ 59.560’N, 106˚ 28.141’W). All-terrain vehicles may wish to continue driving several hundred yards to a gate and the registration box up a steep, rocky, and sometimes muddy road. On busy summer weekends, several vehicles can park here. Calculate Driving Time from your Address |
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