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Trinchera Peak

Northeast Slopes
Difficulty Class 2 
TrailheadBlue Lakes
Start10,500 feet
Summit13,522 feet
Total Gain3,025 feet
RT Length6.5 miles
Last UpdatedJun 2018
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Trailhead

Take US 160 east from La Veta Pass or west from Walsenburg and turn south onto CO 12, toward the town of La Veta. Drive 5 miles south to La Veta and continue 12 miles to the town of Cuchara. Still on CO 12, continue 3.5 miles south and turn right onto Forest Service Road (FSR) 422 (dirt). Drive 4 miles up FSR 422 to reach a road junction where Blue Lake Campground is on your right. This is the 2WD trailhead. Turn left onto FSR 436 and park just up the road in a designated spot. There are a few dispersed camping along FSR 436 but you might consider camping at the Blue Lake campground or up FSR 422 at the Bear Lake campground.

Route Description

The U.S. Forest Service manages a large amount of public land on the northeast portion of the Culebra Range, providing camping and excellent access to Trinchera Peak -  1. From the entrance to the Blue Lake Campground, cross the road and start up Forest Service Road (FSR) 436 -  2,  3 and  4. This 4WD road is well-maintained and goes all the way to a mine, at 12,600'. Walk up the road, pass the North Fork trailhead after 1 mile ( 5) and continue up the road and out of the forest -  6 and  7.

Near 12,100', find a spot where you can leave the road on the left, without too much bushwhacking -  8. Turn left and zigzag southwest up through willows to reach the mellow terrain on Trinchera's upper northeast slopes -  9. Continue southwest toward the east ridge -  10. Near 13,100', reach the upper east ridge and hike steeper terrain toward the summit -  11,  12,  13 and  14. After 400' of Class 2 hiking on the upper ridge, gain Trinchera's mellow summit -  15,  16 and  17.

Maps

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Weather

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