California Peak to Twin Peaks - A Zapata Loop

Looking at the map and trying to link together multiple peaks in a different and efficient way, I saw that from the Zapata Falls trailhead one could go up to California Peak and then traverse the ridgelines all the way to Twin Peaks, in what would end up not being that long of a day for summiting 7 separate peaks. The total was 8200ft elevation and 17.4 miles, and not too continuous of technical scrambling terrain, but enough to keep things fun, engaging, and interesting.

From the Zapata Falls trailhead it is mellow class 1 on the Zapata trail, to some light class 2 off-trail up California Peak’s West Face to North Ridge, from where you can then see the rest of the day to Twin Peaks. You also get incredible views of the Sand Dunes and Blanca Group and northern Crestone/Sangres throughout the day, as well as expansive views across the San Luis valley.

California Peak to UN 13656, the first 4 peaks, is mostly class 2 and easy 3 along the ridgelines with fairly obvious route finding.

From UN 13656 to Crossfire Ridge, it gets into some class 4 terrain and the route finding for path of least resistance gets more complicated. Instead of staying on the ridge crest the entire way, I opted to traverse a series of grassy ledges on the West side of the ridge at parts, just following what seemed to be most expedient and logical.

Crossfire Ridge to Twin Peaks A South continued fun class 3 and then it is just a brief stroll to the top of Twin Peak A North. From the top, it is straight down a steep and loose talus field until the South Fork Zapata Creek trail is reached and its back to cruiser class 1 all of the way to the falls and car. This makes for a very enjoyable day in a beautiful basin to knock out a good number of peaks in an aesthetic style that provides a lot of different views and perspectives from the varied ridgelines and high points along the way.