La Platas: Colorado's Hidden Treasure - Backpacker

La Plata: Colorado's Hidden Treasure

Skip the Front Range crowds and head to Colorado's La Platas for sweet solitude and can't-miss views.

Author:: Mike Wilkinson
Updated:: Feb 14, 2017
Original:: May 12, 2015

9 Images

Mike Wilkinson is a freelance video producer and photographer specializing in documentary and outdoor productions. His work has been featured by Climbing Magazine, Gizmodo, ESPN, Red Bull, and other outlets. Mike is also a regular contributor to the creative blogs Resource Online and Fstoppers.com, where he writes about outdoor adventure multimedia and technology.

A clearing storm dumps fresh snow on stately Wilson Peak, one of Colorado's 54 "fourteeners" (peaks that rise over 14,000 feet in elevation) in the San Miguel Mountains, a sub-range of the San Juan Mountains in the state's southwest. Wilson Peak resides in the Lizard Head Wilderness with two other fourteeners, Mount Wilson and El Diente Peak, neither of which is seen in this view.

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The San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado are a patchwork of wildly varied sub-ranges, many tucked away in vast wilderness areas. Of Colorado’s 54 fourteeners (peaks that rise over 14,000 feet in elevation), 13 call the San Juans home, including Uncomp

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