Trip Report: La Plata

August 3rd, 2014

After completing Shavano and Tabeguache the previous day, we decided on La Plata for our 3rd 14er of the weekend.

Our campsite the night before was a pull off about 1/4 mile past the La Plata trailhead. It was a perfect spot!

We were able to sleep in till 7:00 and hit the trail at 8:00am. Someone (named Ryan) was much happier with this 'sleeping in' business. Up the trail we went, following the happy trail dog through a beautiful forest!

The trail started very flat, with a few sections of downhill. We were able to run for the first 10-15 minutes. The terrain was mostly dirt, with stable rocks scattered about. Then the pitch went up. Although it seemed as steep, or steeper than Shavano, the terrain made it feel a bit easier. There was even a section with stairs that seemed to climb 300 feet in 1/10th of a mile!

As we hit tree line, we got a gorgeous view of this valley.

The view of that valley persisted as we climbed what seemed like 50 switchbacks. Since it was such a pretty view, we stopped a few times to fully appreciate it:

Finally we reached the top of the switchbacks, only to realize we were at 13,000 feet. That meant plenty more climbing!

Looking back on where we had come from

And where we still had to go!

At the top there were 2 sections of class 2 rock scrambling. Nothing too tricky- we never needed to use our hands- just some fun rock-hopping!

Another looking back on where we came up

There were some incredible views of other routes up to the top that looked way harder than our chosen route!

People come up that route!

 We made it to the top in 2:05- a very solid effort (including picture taking stops!) At the top we took our time enjoying both the view, and some pop tarts.

My legs felt a lot better about going downhill today, but I still let Ryan bomb down ahead of me. La Plata was just as steep as Shavano, but the terrain was much less technical, making it a faster/easier descent. The steepness sure does destroy your quads!

Overall this was a great, runnable 14er. Most decent trail shoes would suffice, although there are quite a few tight turns with loose dirt. I was wearing my North Face Hyasa Trails, and they were great for everything but the loosest, steepest dirt. Ryan had his La Sportiva Helios and didn't slip on anything.


After a perfect run on La Plata, we hung out on the paddleboard at Twin Lakes, waiting for the traffic on I-70 to clear.

Another perfect day in paradise!