Spanish Peaks Wilderness Trails

Spanish Peaks Wilderness Trails

Approaching the Spanish Peaks from the nearby town of La Veta, my first impression was one of overwhelming, sheer immensity. The massive bulk of West Spanish Peak looms almost 7,000 feet above the valleys and plains of southern Colorado. Perhaps more noteworthy than their bulk, the geology of these peaks caused a unique concurrence: volcanic dikes that radiate outward like the spokes of a wheel. Dozens of vertical fins, some rising 100 feet or more above the surrounding trees, stand like the plates of a giant stegosaurus slumbering beneath the forest floor. However, obviously a more prosaic explanation exists. Geologists call East and West Spanish peaks volcanic stocks. Great plugs of molten rock rose upward millions of years ago, pushing against overlying sedimentary layers. As they rose, the bulging stocks fractured the surrounding sedimentary strata, and streams of molten rock squeezed into vertical fractures. The plugs probably never broke the surface, but cooled in place and were revealed by eons of erosion as water and wind stripped the softer sedimentary rocks away. These igneous intrusions resisted erosion, as evidenced by today’s landscape of great standing walls. One such wall runs 14 miles in length. The entire area was awarded designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1977. The massive talus slopes of East and West Spanish peaks dominate the area’s interior. Fringes of bristlecone pine, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir give way to ponderosa pine, white fir, and oakbrush at lower elevations near the area’s boundary with private land. CO 12, a designated scenic byway (“The Highway of Legends”) separates the Spanish Peaks from the Sangre de Cristo Range. The area’s small size and largely vertical nature make extended backpacking trips uncommon. This trail guide includes descriptions of Schafer Trail, Wahatoya Trail, and Apishapa Trail.

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