La Plata Peak | |
---|---|
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 / 39.0293524°N 106.4729047°W [2] |
Geography | |
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 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. [a] [1] [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. [3]
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). [4]
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. [5]
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. [6] 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. [7]
Climate data for La Plata Peak 39.0277 N, 106.4762 W, Elevation: 13,671 ft (4,167 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 21.0 (−6.1) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
40.2 (4.6) |
51.7 (10.9) |
57.5 (14.2) |
55.4 (13.0) |
49.1 (9.5) |
38.5 (3.6) |
27.4 (−2.6) |
21.1 (−6.1) |
36.6 (2.5) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 9.5 (−12.5) |
8.5 (−13.1) |
13.3 (−10.4) |
18.5 (−7.5) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
37.8 (3.2) |
43.6 (6.4) |
42.1 (5.6) |
35.9 (2.2) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
16.5 (−8.6) |
10.1 (−12.2) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −1.9 (−18.8) |
−3.1 (−19.5) |
1.0 (−17.2) |
5.6 (−14.7) |
14.4 (−9.8) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
22.7 (−5.2) |
13.6 (−10.2) |
5.5 (−14.7) |
−1.0 (−18.3) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.69 (94) |
3.64 (92) |
3.98 (101) |
4.65 (118) |
3.53 (90) |
1.58 (40) |
1.97 (50) |
2.11 (54) |
2.41 (61) |
2.89 (73) |
3.58 (91) |
3.32 (84) |
37.35 (948) |
Source: PRISM Climate Group [8] |
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.