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LoJ: #168 (G & M: #167) UN 13660 UN 13660 A
N 37° 35' 55.41", W 105° 30' 04.73"
(Not Field Checked)
UN 13577
Ellingwood Point
Peak Summary
UN 13,660 (A) is a Class 2 summit with some steep ascending on the east side of South Zapata Lake. The trailhead for South Zapata Creek serves as the access point and is accessible to passenger vehicles. UN 13,660 could be climbed as a day-hike from the trailhead, but a better option may be to backpack into South Zapata Lake, establish a base camp and then ascend Twin Peaks on the west side of the valley, followed by UN 13,660 and UN 13,577 on the east side.
UN 13,660 SE Ridge Route
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South Zapata Creek Trailhead
Directions: If coming from I-25 and Walsenburg, on US160, about 6 miles west of Blanca and turn north on SH150 and travel about 10.8 miles to BLM road 5415; turn east and travel another 3.6 miles on a graded, gravel road to the trailhead. The road makes five switchbacks lower down, then farther up the hillside, switchbacks two more times before arriving at the trailhead/campground.
To reach the road to the trailhead from the Great Sand Dunes National Park, travel about 6.1 miles southwest on Highway 150 from the visitor center to an intersection. Veer left. Do not turn west onto County Road 6N. Continue south on CO150 another 2.8 miles to the turnoff on the left for BLM 5415 to the Zapata Falls Trailhead and Campground as described above.
If coming from the north and US 285, follow US 285 south to Poncha Pass and continue south to Villa Grove. Five miles south of Villa Grove, turn off to the left onto SH17, which is the more direct route to Alamosa. It's 30 miles to Hooper (you may nearly miss this little town) and from Hooper, continue south another 6 miles to County Road 6N where you will turn left (east). Drive 16.4 miles east to where 6N intersects with SH150. Turn right (south) and go 2.8 miles to the turnoff on the left for BLM 5415 as described above. Follow it 3.6 miles to the trailhead/campground. There is a separate parking area for day-use and backpackers on a short loop. There is picnicking as well and vault toilets.
The South Zapata trail #852 is 4.5 miles long. It begins at the end of BLM Road 5415 (the Zapata Falls road) and ends at South Zapata Lake.
To view the falls, hike one-half mile from the trailhead to Zapata Creek, going up an old roadbed and wade upstream into the narrow cave to view the falls. The 30 foot high waterfall cascades within a narrow chasm. Watch for falling rocks. The water is swift and deep in early summer. When you first arrive where the canyon narrows up and would have to wade in, there is a trail that gains the ridge on the right, above the falls for viewing. That trail immediately forks. The left takes you to the viewing area. The right fork gets you to the main Zapata Lake trail. In 1995, there were no clear signs as to where the South Zapata Lake trail began. We followed the viewing trail up onto the ridge, then had to cut south a little to pick up the Zapata Lake trail.
The trail proceeds from the waterfall up South Zapata Creek to South Zapata Lake. A little above the falls, the trail crosses the stream. Again, in 1995, there was a very large log fallen across the stream and a significant height above the water. If the log is still there, you can try using it. If not, you'll have to wade unless the Forest Service has place in a bridge of some kind. The trail is steep in many places. About 2.25 miles up the trail, North Fork South Zapata Creek Trail #868 begins. This trail does not show on the Trails Illustrated map.
The trail is open for the following uses: Horseback riding, hiking, and backpacking.
Camping
There is a designated National Forest campground at the trail head. Fee required. This is a relatively new campground and will not appear on older maps.
Campsite Locations
Zapata Falls › N 37° 37' 11.09", W 105° 33' 37.06"9,085 elevation
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From South Zapata Creek TH via South Zapata Lake
Be sure and visit Zapata Falls either before beginning your hike or after completing it. Above the falls, the trail will cross S. Zapata Ck. In 1995, when we visited here, there was no way to cross except on a fallen tree, suspended up to 15' above the creek or, wade across. The trail then climbed steeply, gaining a small ridge which it followed for a while. The trail then continues contouring up the valley on the east side, crossing below some cliffs and two minor drainages. The trail stays well above the valley bottom. At about 11,360, the trail crosses to the other side of the creek. There was a nice, primitive campsite near here, if packing in, (about 3.5 miles) or continue on to Zapata Lake. The trail is mostly forested until about 3/4 mile below the lake. As you approach the lake, there will be willows. There are no sheltering trees at the lake. Suitable camping sites are limited.
Camping
Some primitive sites as mentioned before in the upper basin. There's not any good camping above the lake.
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Route Description
Year Climbed: 1995The route we chose for the most part followed that suggested in G&M. If camped below and north of S. Zapata Lake, walk on up to the lake on the trail, then work around the east side of the lake and continue up valley along a smaller stream that empties into the lake on this SE side. Avoid the tongue of a huge rock glacier coming from the SW and follow sparse tundra, talus and perhaps snow upward in a SE direction for a while (quarter mile or so). Then, begin to swing more directly east and begin the more difficult ascent to the ridge high above that lies between Pt. 13, 618 and UN 13,660. As you ascend, you'll need to head in a more northerly direction if you want to avoid coming out at Pt. 13,618. We came out on the ridge about a quarter mile NW of the point. As you climb toward this ridge, the tundra will soon play out and you will find yourself on mostly larger, broken rock talus that is reasonably stable. It should not slow progress too much.
Once on the ridge, simply follow it NW to the UN13,660 summit. The ridge seems quite narrow at points offering a nice "sky-walk" experience with impressive views in any direction. The ridge walk to the summit remains on mostly larger, broken rock. Decide if you want to continue on to UN 13,577 along a connecting ridge to the east. Round-trip time to there and back from UN 13,660 will require about an hour. For the descent from UN 13,660, head back SE along the ridge toward Pt. 13,618 for about .2 mile and then turn WSW down a pronounced couloir that drops all the way to South Zapata Lake. The couloir is bordered by rock walls on either side and in early season can offer a nice snow glissade down. Otherwise, the descent is on mostly unstable talus of varying sizes. As you near the lake, there is some tundra again.
UN 13,660 can also be climbed by at least two other routes. The first would be from California Peak to UN 13,577 south, then west to UN 13,660. All of this ridge is easily manageable but long. A second way to climb UN 13,660 would be the Lily Lake Trail up the Huerfano Creek drainage. From Lily Lake, you can ascend to the ridge that connects UN 13,577 and UN 13,660 and climb either summit. Bill Middlebrook has a nice summary of this Lily Lake route on 14ers.com.
Additional BETA
Links to other information, routes & trip reports for this peak that may be helpful. -
