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.:Getting to the trailhead:. The SW ridge route is accessed from the almost-ghost-town of Winfield. To get to Winfield, drive from Denver SW on US285 to Johnson's Village and then north on US 24 for 2 miles to Buena Vista. Head north from Buena Vista about 14 miles on US 24 (or south from Leadville about 16 miles) and turn left at the Clear Creek Reservoir (Chaffee County 390). The well-maintained dirt road heads mostly west and terminates at Winfield, about 11 miles in. The road is only maintained for 3-4 miles in the winter, but with the mild winter we were able to get to Winfield without any problems at all....a couple thin snowfields to plow through, but nothing serious. At Winfield, take a sharp curve to the right (left over the creek takes your to the Huron trailhead) around an old cabin and continue down the road for several hundred yards past the old cemetery to a US Forest sign warning of the 4x4 nature of the road ahead. Cars ought to park it here, while 4x4s with clearance can continue another 1.2 miles to the gated closure. .:The trail:. .:Trip Report:. LaPlata is one of those 14ers that most people seem to have never heard of before, even here in Colorado. Everyone knows what you mean when you say Elbert or Evans, but the 5th tallest peak in the state seems to rest in relative obscurity. It was back in '97 that I made my first trip to LaPlata. That late September climb was done via the more popular northwest route, but I had had my eye on the less-traveled southwest ridge route for some time. Driving towards the trailhead, the snow was deep enough to stop us pretty much right at Winfield. The conditions were warm and springlike...more like you'd expect in the mountains around early May - just another testament to the mild winter we've had here this year. Straight from the trailhead, gaiters and snowshoes were required equipment. We headed off from the trailhead right about 7:45...it was already in the high 20's, and I didn't even need an outer layer...long sleeves and a fleece vest were enough. The next mile and a half or so followed the above-mentioned 4x4 road, which was mostly easy to pick out, although we did get off-path a few times in a couple open field areas. The snow was thick and heavy, and had not been disturbed by people anytime recently. On several occasions, a single footstep caused a major settling event....hundreds of square feet of snow settling with a tremendous "WHUMPF". It was quite unsettling, as this translates to prime avalanche conditions. Luckily, we were on a broad valley floor, where the dangers were minimal. Still, watching huge cracks propagate across hitherto pristine acres of snow and feeling the ground shudder as it falls...that'll get your attention! The going was fairly slow as we made our way up valley, eventually to the closure gate mentioned in the Roach guidebook. The actual LaPlata trail splits off the road a bit before the gate, but there was no way to discern the trail with the snow conditions. We checked the map carefully and determined that we could head north and intersect the trail (if it wasn't completely under the snowpack) without too much trouble. Looking at the register at the closure, the last entry had been November 18th, so we were definitely not going to have a previously-blazed trail to take advantage of...over 4 months since the last visitors to the area! As the morning wore on, we did manage to find the right trail, thanks to some good orienteering. However, the temperatures were rising and the snow was getting deep and slushy...even the snowshoes couldn't prevent us from breaking through, up to our waistlines in some places! It became apparent that there was no way we could get to the summit in reasonable time and be back before dark, so we set 1:00 as a turnaround time, and kept on going to see how far we could get. As 1:00 came around, we had just come to treeline in the high valley below the actual southwest ridge of LaPlata. The rest of the route ran to the north end of the valley, then a steep climb to the top of the ridge, and a rolling ridge-hike to the summit...a total of 1.7 miles from where we were. Based on some of the huge cornices we could see on the opposite sides of the valley walls, I seriously doubt we could have made that climb to the ridge in the first place. After a short break to rest and soak in the incredible views (LaPlata to the north, Huron to the south, high 13ers in every direction on a crisp, clear day), we grudgingly turned back, postholing our way down the trail and back to the 4x4 road, and finally to our starting point. By the time we'd gotten back at around 3:30, we were exhausted from postholing through the oatmeal-like snowpack, and soaked with sweat from the warm conditions and exertion. A quick wardrobe change, and we were off towards home. Another failed summit attempt...but I'll take any day in the mountains like this over hanging out in suburbia anytime! I expect I'll try this route again, probably in the summer. The sheer beauty of the area makes this climb worth it any time of the year! |
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