Backpack at West Spanish Peak

Aguilar, Colorado

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Details

Distance

9.6 miles

Elevation Gain

1300 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Hunter Berge

West Spanish Peak in Southern Colorado is an amazing place to backpack, hike, or just relax and enjoy the amazing views.

Starting in southern Colorado, head west from Walsenburg to Highway 12. Continue on highway 12 through Cuchara until you get to Cordova Pass - frontage road 415. Continue down this road for about 7 miles; once you get to the summit there will be a trailhead. It is $6 to park there for up to 14 days.

The trail starts at over 11,000 ft. If you are wanting to hike all the way up to West Spanish Peak, it is roughly 5.3 miles out and back. However, if you are not looking to make the full trek, the hiking there is still amazing with wonderful views and camping locations.

The land is National Forrest so you can backpack and camp pretty much anywhere off the trail. Make sure you bring good all-weather clothing, as the weather can turn south pretty fast. I changed outfits 7 times just hiking to West Spanish Peak as it was sunny and hot, rainy, sleeting, and foggy all in a 3 hour time-span.

The trail is littered with amazing views and vast lookouts.

Happy camping!

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Features

Chillin

Camping

Photography

Mountain Biking

Backpacking

Hiking

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Forest

Picnic Area

Scenic

Wildflowers

Wildlife

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