West Spanish Peak - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 06/28/2024
Elevation - 13,626'
Route - Southwest Ridge
Miles - 7.1
Elevation Gain - 2,501'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Not Applicable

Description

West Spanish Peak is a Bi-Centennial Peak and the 181st tallest mountain in the state of Colorado according to old map elevations. I had been working in Pueblo, Colorado, all week so when we finished up mid-morning on Friday, I decided to make a detour and head south to hike another Bi-Centennial Peak. Given the statistics, I thought I could complete the hike even with a late start.

I left the trailhead at Cordova Pass at 12:50 pm and hiked on a flat trail for 1.5 miles before hitting a trail junction and starting up the peak's steeper southwest ridge. The ridge is a combination of talus and scree with some of it being loose and other areas fairly stable. There are multiple use trails across the mountain, but you can certainly chose your own adventure. The most obvious trail was much easier to follow on the descent as opposed to going up.

I made the summit after hiking for 2 hours and 35 minutes. I only stayed on the summit for 10 minutes due to lots of bugs and the lateness of the day. I made it back to the trailhead at 5:20 pm for a car-to-car time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. I drove into La Veta, Colorado, for a beer at the local brewery before driving to my next trailhead.

Photos