La Plata Peak is the fifth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent 14,343-foot (4,372 m) fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 22.7 miles (36.5 km) northwest by west (bearing 308°) of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.[3][1][2]
La Plata Peak | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 14,361 ft (4372 m)[1] NAVD88 |
Prominence | 1836 ft (560 m)[1] |
Isolation | 6.28 mi (10.11 km)[1] |
Listing | |
Coordinates | 39°01′46″N 106°28′22″W[2] |
Geography | |
![]() ![]() La Plata Peak | |
Location | Chaffee County, Colorado, U.S.[2] |
Parent range | Sawatch Range, Collegiate Peaks[1] |
Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Elbert, Colorado[2] |
Climbing | |
First ascent | July 26, 1873 Hayden Survey |
Easiest route | Northwest Ridge or Southwest Ridge: Hike (class 2) |
"La Plata" is Spanish for "The Silver", a reference to the many silver deposits in the area. The nearby ghost towns of Winfield and Hamilton were prominent silver mining towns in the early part of the 20th century. A Hayden Survey team first climbed the peak on July 26, 1873.[4]
The elevation of 14,361 feet marked on the USGS Mount Elbert Quadrangle is incorrect, and should read 14,336 feet (in the NGVD 29 vertical datum).[5]
Northwest Ridge: This is the standard route used to climb the mountain. like most Sawatch range 14ers it is non-technical, but incredibly steep. The trail is 9.5 miles round trip, with 4,500 feet of elevation gain and class 2 hiking along the ridge.[6]
Ellingwood Ridge: Ellingwood Ridge is one of the most technically difficult alternate routes in the Sawatch range. it was first climbed by Albert Ellingwood in the 1930s.[7] It is rated as class 3, but the extremely difficult route finding and length of the climb make this a very challenging endeavor. Much of the climbing is off trail. The climb is 9.5 miles round trip, with 5,900 feet of elevation gain.[8]
The 124 highest major summits of greater North America | |
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State of Colorado | |
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