Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: August 18, 2002
CD, Mark, and I summited on my birthday! I had to climb the route after having climbed Elbert and not being able to tear my eyes away from the ridge! We gained the ridge very early (way North of the peak), which made for a very long day. Great clasic ridge climbing with as mush exposure as you want. Many of the obstacles can be avoined by dropping slightly below the ridge, but what fun is that! Also, if anyone tries to tell you that there is a trail that should be used to get you to the route, they are full of it.
Route Climbed: Southwest Ridge Date Climbed: September 22, 2001
Labor Day brought a snowstorm in 2001, so we avoided the mountains for a few weeks before trying another few 14ers. La Plata Peak turned out to be an excellent choice because the aspens along the Clear Creek Road were peaking. The willows kind of suck in the valley, especially with non-waterproof boots, and the southwest ridge felt to us like it took forever to climb, but we had a great autumn day, nevertheless.
Route Climbed: North Ridge Date Climbed: July 23, 2000
La Plata was one of my favorite Sawatch fourteeners (along with Mount of the Holy Cross and Huron Peak). It is a nice climb with asttounding views. The Ellingwood Ridge is dramatic from the north ridge.
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: July 6,2003
Perfect day to climb a 14er. Gary, Dave and myself. With minimal stops on the way up we managed to summit this peak in under 4 hours. The summit was beautiful and it was fun to look down at the Ellingwood ridge which Gary and I attempted the previous year a little too late in the season. This year we may make another attempt to summit via the Ellingwood ridge.
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: July 20, 2003
Picking our way along the trail-less ridge was slower going than expected. A fun and challenging route. Reaching the summit by this route leaves a feeling of accomplishment.
Route Climbed: South Slopes via winfield Date Climbed: June 15, 2003
This was the second time I attempted La Plata. The first time I had to turn around due to inclement weather. This time Jim and I met at the trailhead in the morning and we hiked up together. Hiking up the valley to the first saddle was fun and beautiful. From there the hike was pretty uneventful and took much a longer than I though it would to make the summit. The views were nice and I was glad to have finished all of the Swatach Fourteeners.
I woke up late and reached the trail head at 9:00 AM. Upon getting there I met a guy who returned from mid-way to the top saying the weather's too bad. Well that's an ominous start...However since it was my last day there I soldiered on.
Reached the summit at around 1:00 PM. On the way down got caught in a thunderstorm. Instead of taking cover I chose to attempt a "out-descend" the storm and it worked although I was drenched and chilled to the bone.
Now I have done both the routes to La Plata - the standard one and the fiendish Ellingwood Ridge. This is an excellent climb with clearly marked routes and some nice photo opportunities.
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: July 2003
Ellingwood Ridge is a long dayhike. The trail is not marked well and hence some route finding is necessary. Also be prepared to do some simple climbing.
Route Climbed: Souwthwest ridge Date Climbed: september, 1994
This was the first 14er that I climbed. I had just moved to Colorado (from Wisconsin) and Climbed the peak with the outdoor program at my college. I got a headache and dizzy spells, but I loved it and was hooked.
Route Climbed: Winfield Date Climbed: August 30, 2003
I did this one with a group of guys from my church. It was unseasonably chilly this day. We had dense fog and pretty strong winds above 12,600 feet, so it was difficult to see where we were going. Fortunately, one of the guys had GPS, otherwise we may never have found the summit. I'll have to do this again, when it's not so foggy.
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: August 1, 2003
I bailed out on this about 2 weeks before due to some questionable weather. I had a beautiful day this time. Great views of the surrounding mountains. This did make for a long (7 hour) day though.
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: May 28, 2000
With my Colorado Outward Bound training group, we hiked up trailless Crystal Lake Creek and camped below all of the large lakes. We climbed a snow couloir to gain the ridge, then meandered along the pinnacles to the summit. A great glissade back to the lakes. We also climbed a prominent couloir on the north side of the peak that forms the SE corner of the basin. Since we were training we set 11 fixed lines just getting to the Ellingwood Ridge!
Route Climbed: La Plata Gulch Date Climbed: 8.16.03
Magnificent and very diverse trail, poorly marked at the beginning. Once out of the gulch, incredible scenery of what I believe to be Winfield Peak to the South. The sun struggled to shine. Did not trust the cloudy skies. It took me a long time to reach the saddle below the crest for being in doubt to procede several times. Skeptically observed the clouds taking over the peak as I was just below the snowfield (almost noon). I instantly chose to descend; reached timberline in a light rain/snowfall under thunder and lightning. Very slow descend especially from the upper portion; treacherous terrain. Slipped several times. Long, steep and great climb. Am rating this one as the most difficult 14er I've hiked so far but plan to summit from Winfield on a hopefully sunny day.
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge II Date Climbed: 2 Aug 03
This was an awesome but tiring hike. Many boulders to hop across. I got misrouted a few times which added to my time and tiredness. I missed the summit and started towards the Winfield Trailhead.
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: May 26, 2002
La Plata will definitely give you some great views! especially in the Spring time. My girlfriend, Lorena, and I climbed this peak during our Memorial Day Weekend break in 2002. Our high camp was awesome. I have posted a detailed trip report under the trip report section of the La Plata Page. This is not a hard route. Just an arduous one if you are full out camping like we did. The photo was taken by Lorena.
Climbed with homeboy Uy. Starting in the morning, we kept a good pace until about ½-way up, when Uy started developing a bit of altitude sickness (he'd recently returned from England, i.e. sea level). He pushed through it, though, and we summited. After hanging out on top for a bit, we went back down. Towards the bottom Uy injured his leg, but we slowed down and everything was cool. It was a beautiful day, and seeing the sun come through the trees in La Plata Gulch while listening to the river below on the return was really nice. Overall, a great day in the Colorado Rockies- good climb with a good friend in beautiful weather .
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: October 22, 2002
I had tried this solo three weeks earlier and turned back because of some deep snow. I came back with a friend to find half the snow and twice the fun. We barely made it back down before the latest storm moved in.
coloradoiceclimber - Apr 10, 2004 7:21 pm
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: August 18, 2002CD, Mark, and I summited on my birthday! I had to climb the route after having climbed Elbert and not being able to tear my eyes away from the ridge! We gained the ridge very early (way North of the peak), which made for a very long day. Great clasic ridge climbing with as mush exposure as you want. Many of the obstacles can be avoined by dropping slightly below the ridge, but what fun is that! Also, if anyone tries to tell you that there is a trail that should be used to get you to the route, they are full of it.
RyanS - Apr 8, 2004 1:54 pm
Route Climbed: Southwest Ridge Date Climbed: September 22, 2001Labor Day brought a snowstorm in 2001, so we avoided the mountains for a few weeks before trying another few 14ers. La Plata Peak turned out to be an excellent choice because the aspens along the Clear Creek Road were peaking. The willows kind of suck in the valley, especially with non-waterproof boots, and the southwest ridge felt to us like it took forever to climb, but we had a great autumn day, nevertheless.
JonBradford - Mar 22, 2004 8:57 pm
Route Climbed: North Ridge Date Climbed: July 23, 2000La Plata was one of my favorite Sawatch fourteeners (along with Mount of the Holy Cross and Huron Peak). It is a nice climb with asttounding views. The Ellingwood Ridge is dramatic from the north ridge.
Jon
xskier77 - Feb 1, 2004 8:53 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: July 6,2003Perfect day to climb a 14er. Gary, Dave and myself. With minimal stops on the way up we managed to summit this peak in under 4 hours. The summit was beautiful and it was fun to look down at the Ellingwood ridge which Gary and I attempted the previous year a little too late in the season. This year we may make another attempt to summit via the Ellingwood ridge.
reubenrr - Jan 22, 2004 11:35 pm
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: July 20, 2003Picking our way along the trail-less ridge was slower going than expected. A fun and challenging route. Reaching the summit by this route leaves a feeling of accomplishment.
Grant - Jan 18, 2004 10:39 pm
Route Climbed: South Slopes via winfield Date Climbed: June 15, 2003This was the second time I attempted La Plata. The first time I had to turn around due to inclement weather. This time Jim and I met at the trailhead in the morning and we hiked up together. Hiking up the valley to the first saddle was fun and beautiful. From there the hike was pretty uneventful and took much a longer than I though it would to make the summit. The views were nice and I was glad to have finished all of the Swatach Fourteeners.
hhsilleck - Jan 9, 2004 7:21 pm
Route Climbed: SW ridge Date Climbed: July 2000Standard Sawatch climb - the hard part is finding the bridge across the river near the start of the hike.
nitlsu - Dec 25, 2003 11:34 am
Route Climbed: Standard Date Climbed: 08/21/2003I woke up late and reached the trail head at 9:00 AM. Upon getting there I met a guy who returned from mid-way to the top saying the weather's too bad. Well that's an ominous start...However since it was my last day there I soldiered on.
Reached the summit at around 1:00 PM. On the way down got caught in a thunderstorm. Instead of taking cover I chose to attempt a "out-descend" the storm and it worked although I was drenched and chilled to the bone.
Now I have done both the routes to La Plata - the standard one and the fiendish Ellingwood Ridge. This is an excellent climb with clearly marked routes and some nice photo opportunities.
bdewoody - Dec 3, 2003 1:09 am
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: July 2003Ellingwood Ridge is a long dayhike. The trail is not marked well and hence some route finding is necessary. Also be prepared to do some simple climbing.
Andesite - Dec 1, 2003 10:06 pm
Route Climbed: Souwthwest ridge Date Climbed: september, 1994This was the first 14er that I climbed. I had just moved to Colorado (from Wisconsin) and Climbed the peak with the outdoor program at my college. I got a headache and dizzy spells, but I loved it and was hooked.
belexes - Oct 16, 2003 9:19 pm
Route Climbed: Winfield Date Climbed: August 30, 2003I did this one with a group of guys from my church. It was unseasonably chilly this day. We had dense fog and pretty strong winds above 12,600 feet, so it was difficult to see where we were going. Fortunately, one of the guys had GPS, otherwise we may never have found the summit. I'll have to do this again, when it's not so foggy.
jrf - Oct 5, 2003 8:09 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: August 1, 2003I bailed out on this about 2 weeks before due to some questionable weather. I had a beautiful day this time. Great views of the surrounding mountains. This did make for a long (7 hour) day though.
b. - Aug 21, 2003 3:16 pm
Route Climbed: Ellingwood Ridge Date Climbed: May 28, 2000With my Colorado Outward Bound training group, we hiked up trailless Crystal Lake Creek and camped below all of the large lakes. We climbed a snow couloir to gain the ridge, then meandered along the pinnacles to the summit. A great glissade back to the lakes. We also climbed a prominent couloir on the north side of the peak that forms the SE corner of the basin. Since we were training we set 11 fixed lines just getting to the Ellingwood Ridge!
Helga - Aug 17, 2003 11:10 pm
Route Climbed: La Plata Gulch Date Climbed: 8.16.03Magnificent and very diverse trail, poorly marked at the beginning. Once out of the gulch, incredible scenery of what I believe to be Winfield Peak to the South. The sun struggled to shine. Did not trust the cloudy skies. It took me a long time to reach the saddle below the crest for being in doubt to procede several times. Skeptically observed the clouds taking over the peak as I was just below the snowfield (almost noon). I instantly chose to descend; reached timberline in a light rain/snowfall under thunder and lightning. Very slow descend especially from the upper portion; treacherous terrain. Slipped several times. Long, steep and great climb. Am rating this one as the most difficult 14er I've hiked so far but plan to summit from Winfield on a hopefully sunny day.
odysseus - Aug 7, 2003 8:24 am
Route Climbed: Southwest Ridge - 4WD road from Winfield TH Date Climbed: July 30, 2003Turned back by weather around 12,500 feet the previous day. Returned and successfully summitted on a beautiful day.
John Styrnol - Aug 3, 2003 5:22 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge II Date Climbed: 2 Aug 03This was an awesome but tiring hike. Many boulders to hop across. I got misrouted a few times which added to my time and tiredness. I missed the summit and started towards the Winfield Trailhead.
TexasClimber - Jun 8, 2003 9:06 pm
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: May 26, 2002La Plata will definitely give you some great views! especially in the Spring time. My girlfriend, Lorena, and I climbed this peak during our Memorial Day Weekend break in 2002. Our high camp was awesome. I have posted a detailed trip report under the trip report section of the La Plata Page. This is not a hard route. Just an arduous one if you are full out camping like we did. The photo was taken by Lorena.
Kane - May 21, 2003 6:00 pm
Route Climbed: Southwest Ridge Date Climbed: 1994My first mountain I ever climbed.
Diggler - Mar 19, 2003 11:43 am
Route Climbed: NW Ridge Date Climbed: July 1999Climbed with homeboy Uy. Starting in the morning, we kept a good pace until about ½-way up, when Uy started developing a bit of altitude sickness (he'd recently returned from England, i.e. sea level). He pushed through it, though, and we summited. After hanging out on top for a bit, we went back down. Towards the bottom Uy injured his leg, but we slowed down and everything was cool. It was a beautiful day, and seeing the sun come through the trees in La Plata Gulch while listening to the river below on the return was really nice. Overall, a great day in the Colorado Rockies- good climb with a good friend in beautiful weather .
Colonelpyat - Feb 28, 2003 4:59 am
Route Climbed: Northwest Ridge Date Climbed: October 22, 2002I had tried this solo three weeks earlier and turned back because of some deep snow. I came back with a friend to find half the snow and twice the fun. We barely made it back down before the latest storm moved in.