"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]
Climbing Routes
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]
Southwest Ridge: This is an alternate class 2 route with 3600 feet of elevation gain and 7.5 miles of hiking.[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]
Climate
Climate data for La Plata Peak 39.0277 N, 106.4762 W, Elevation: 13,671 ft (4,167 m) (1991–2020 normals)
^"PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 10, 2023. 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.
