WEST SPANISH PEAK
13,626 ft.
Sept. 4, 1998
By Tim Briese
On a clear day the twin summits of the Spanish Peaks are visible from a hill south of my house, standing tall some 110 miles away. Because of their isolation from other mountain ranges they dominate the landscape of south central Colorado and have caught the attention of travelers and adventurers for centuries. On a fine day in early September I went on an outing to climb the taller of the two mountains, West Spanish Peak.
I got a late start from home that morning, not leaving until 9 a.m., and headed down I-25 to Walsenburg. I drove up the beautiful Cuchara Valley around the west side of the Spanish Peaks to Cucharas Pass on Highway 12. From the pass I followed an unpaved forest road to the northeast a few miles up to the trailhead on Cordova Pass, at 11,250 feet. A few minutes before noon I struck off up the trail to the northeast from the pass with my lab Allie. The trail initially went through a wooded area but then broke out into a meadow where I was greeted by a fine view of West Spanish Peak ahead. The trail generally followed the crest of a wooded ridge and climbed only gradually for the first two miles. After about one mile the Apishapa Trail came in from the right and I stayed on the main trail as it gently climbed to timberline over the next mile.
At this point I began to climb steeply to the northeast on scree and talus up the mountain’s southwest slopes. There was not a well-defined trail here and I just picked the best route I could find. I saw a party of four young people descending about a hundred yards to the southeast of where I was, the only other climbers I saw today. The 2000 foot ascent up this slope was grueling but straightforward. When I reached the top of the slope I followed the summit ridge a short distance to the east to the highest point, where I arrived a little before 2 p.m. I was greeted by fine views all around on this calm and sunny day. I was especially struck by the isolation of this mountain as I gazed off into the distance in every direction. To the northwest lay the Blanca Group and the Crestones while Culebra Peak was off to the southwest. Four miles to the east lay the summit of East Spanish Peak (12,683'), nearly a thousand feet lower than where I stood.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Spanish Peaks are the unique volcanic dykes that radiate away from the base of the peaks in every direction, much like spokes on a wheel. The dykes are linear rocky walls, perhaps 50 to 100 feet high, formed eons ago as molten lava from these volcanic peaks flowed down into cracks below. Over time the surrounding material eroded away, leaving these rock walls standing that we see today. Geologists come from around the world to study these dykes, for this is one of the finest examples of this feature anywhere. From the summit I had a magnificent view of the dykes radiating away all around the mountain.
After 45 minutes I left the top and began my descent. It was fast and easy going back down the steep slope and I was soon hiking down the trail through the woods in the pleasant afternoon sunshine. I returned to the trailhead about 4 p.m. The climb was a relatively easy one, covering about six miles roundtrip with 2500 feet of elevation gain. I enjoyed this rewarding outing to visit a new and interesting place.
