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La Plata County, Colorado

Looking for the best hiking in La Plata County? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around La Plata County. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.

Top Hiking Spots in and near La Plata County

  • Mancos, Colorado

    Hike the Knife Edge Trail

    2 mi / 20 ft gain
    The Knife Edge Trail leaves from a small parking lot located in Morefield Campground in Mesa Verde National Park. It's definitely an easy trail, but it is perfect for the entire family. It offers an unhindered view westward, so it is a prime place to catch the sunset in the park, especially if yo...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Explore Balcony House

    5.0
    0.5 mi
    Starting at the trail head at 7,000 feet, you will head down the trail until you get to the cliff dwellings. There will be a wooden ladder you will have to climb, a recreation of the ladder used hundreds of years ago by the tribes living there. Once you get to the top of the ladder, the trail wil...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Hike the Cliff Palace Loop Trail

    5.0
    0.4 mi / 127 ft gain
    Tickets for this tour are $4 per person and are available at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. This tour is best taken from April to November. This hike features The milky way is often visible from the top of Mesa Verde at night.  This one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbin...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Hike the Spruce Canyon Trail

    5.0
    3.1 mi / 754 ft gain
    The Spruce Canyon trail is very well taken care of. The trail begin with a descent into Spruce Tree Canyon and then follows a stream for 3/4 of a mile before climbing a side canyon back up to the ridge. The trailhead is located on the Chapin Mesa within Mesa Verde National Park. The trail is open...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Hike the Petroglyph Point Trail

    4.0
    2.7 mi / 698 ft gain
    Pick up a trail brochure for information on the interpretive signs. There are some steep and narrow portions of the trail, so make sure everyone in your party is of able physical capability. 
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  • Silverton, Colorado

    Fly Fish the Animas River

    4.0
    While the Animas River runs for miles in the San Juan National Forest, a beautiful (and accessible) stretch runs right through Silverton, CO. Here, you can fish, hike, or chill. The river is fast with very few pockets for the trout to hide; however, if you search around enough, you'll find a fish...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Explore the Far View Sites Complex

    4.5
    0.75 mi
    The Far View Community is located four miles north of the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. In around 800 AD, the Ancestral Pueblo people lived in this area for several centuries. They mostly farmed the mesa tops, but were also hunters. It was one of the most densely populated regions of Mesa Ver...
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  • Durango, Colorado

    Camp at South Mineral Campground

    4.8
    Some general notes: South Mineral Campground does not take reservations - all sites are first come first served. There are an assortment of designated areas along South Mineral Road where dispersed camping is allowed so there is plenty of camping in the canyon on all but the busiest days, but y...
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  • Durango, Colorado

    Backpack to Island Lake

    5.0
    8 mi / 3000 ft gain
    From the Ice Lakes basin Trailhead, this 8 mile round trip trail with 3000 feet of elevation gain will bring you to the Ice Lakes Basin with an abundance of beautiful lakes, especially Island Lake and Ice Lake. We camped on a little shelf above Island Lake, but you can camp anywhere you find a ni...
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  • Durango, Colorado

    Upper Ice Lake

    5.0
    6.74 mi / 2464 ft gain
    From the Ice Lakes trailhead begin hiking through a meadow that quickly enters the forest and begins to climb. The trail will climb ~1,600 feet in the next two miles. As the trail climbs there is a scenic waterfall just over .5 miles, it is worth it to scamper up for a closer look (at ~1.0 miles ...
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  • Durango, Colorado

    Climb Fuller Peak

    3.0
    Begin by hiking the Ice Lakes Trail for 3.5 miles, which will take you to Ice Lake. From here, you can identify the obvious, delta-shaped mountain to climber's left, known as Fuller Peak (13,761ft). Hike cross country, directly toward the base of the North Ridge (right skyline), walking past Full...
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  • Creede, Colorado

    Hike the Weminuche Wilderness to Fourmile Falls

    5.0
    8 mi
    Located in Southern Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness, Fourmile Falls is a beautiful day hike perfect for hikers and photographers. The highlights of the trail are the two massive, thundering waterfalls. The falls make this hike ideal in early to mid summer, when the falls are full of icy snowmel...
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  • Durango, Colorado

    Explore Clear Lake

    5.0
    The road to Clear Lake offers wonderful views of the South Fork Mineral Creek, and the San Juan Mountains. Some people make the 9-mile round-trip hike with 2,600 feet of elevation gain, others drive as far as their vehicle will allow and hike from there, and some make the drive all the way up. It...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Hike to Long House and Step House at Mesa Verde National Park

    5.0
    3 mi / 130 ft gain
    This is a great opportunity to see two historic cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park within a relatively short period of time. Schedule your day around getting tickets to Long House, then taking a bit of a side trek to the Step House when you have the time. The tour begins at the Weatherhi...
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  • Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

    Hike Nordenskiold Site No. 16 Trail

    2 mi
    This two mile round-trip trail leaves from the information kiosk near Long House and Step House, and leads through and area severely burned by the 2000 Pony Fire.  There's no shade on this trail, so if you are doing it during the hotter months, be sure to bring a lot of water and sun protection. ...
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  • Ophir, Colorado

    Ophir Pass Road

    5.0
    9.93 mi / 1696 ft gain
    Ophir Pass Road is a point-to-point trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Ophir, Colorado.
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