Taken from the southwest on La Plata Peak,
1 and
2 show much of the route. In the trailhead parking area, locate the trail behind the first couple of parking spots and start up the great trail -
3. Hike 1 mile up through the forest and cross to the west side of Black Cloud Creek on a small log bridge -
4. Continue over 0.25 mile and cross back to the east side of the creek -
5. Walk up through a grove of small aspen trees and reach more open terrain near 11,200' -
6. 2 miles into the hike you will reach the remnants of an old mining shack at 11,600' -
7. Follow the trail up through the rocks on the right as you approach the drainage below "South Elbert," the 14,134-foot point along Elbert's Southeast Ridge.
As you climb into the drainage, South Elbert is directly ahead but the trail soon turns east instead of climbing the drainage -
8. Continue along the hillside through the trees to reach some mine tailings at 12,000' -
9. Cross the top of the tailings and continue east through the trees. Finally, leave the trees near 12,200' and continue northeast up the steep slope -
10. The trail is still very good and shows signs of recent maintenance. Keep climbing.
11 looks down on the terrain. Above 12,900' the trail is a bit steeper and there are some loose sections that make traction more difficult. As you climb northeast toward the ridge crest, South Elbert is in view to the left -
12.
Reach the ridge crest just shy of 13,600' and turn left to see the next task - nearly a mile of ridge hiking to reach the top of South Elbert -
13. Hike over a gentle bump on the ridge (
14) to get a better view of the ridge -
15 and
16. Drop slightly and follow a faint trail along the ridge crest (
17). Hike up easy terrain (
18) to reach the top of South Elbert where you have a view of the remaining route -
19. Continue northwest over 0.5 mile along the ridge (
20) to reach the broad saddle between South Elbert and the true summit -
21.
From the 13,900-foot saddle, turn right (north) and hike up the final 0.75 mile of ridge below the summit -
22 and
23.
24 is a look at the terrain along the ridge. Taken from near the summit,
25 is the view down the ridge and
26 shows the general route from South Elbert.