East and West Spanish Peak Summit Hikes in CO

NOTE: This event is almost full. If you're interested in this trip, please put yourself on the waitlist and I'll work to include you.

Sheldon and I have long held that this is one of the most underrated areas in Colorado. The views are beautiful in every direction and the views from the summit are absolutely amazing. That's the reason we'd like to start the season with a quick trip up to these mountains. This is the perfect opportunity for those of you that are new to our group to test your legs and learn new skills before we do more mountains later in the summer.

On this hike, we will be climbing the 13,626-foot West Spanish Peak
(https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/west-spanish-peak-trail) and the 12,688-foot East Spanish Peak (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/east-spanish-peak).
You are not required to summit both mountains. We find that West Spanish Peak, while taller, is the easier of the two climbs.

Both are considered to be class 2 climbs with a small amount of class 3 (scrambling) near the top. Both hikes will take approximately 6 to 8 hours. Most of the elevation gain on these hikes is in the last mile. It gets very steep with loose, but manageable, rock. My 11 year old grandson summitted this peak with us in 2023. It's challenging but doable for those just starting out as long as you've trained with us at River Place.

IMPORTANT: RSVP priority will be given to our active members. We would like to keep attendance to 4-5 per vehicle to keep the cost as low as possible for everyone. Right now, the cost for the trip will be approximately $165 each. This may change slightly as we near the trip and finalize our reservations. The cost includes the hotel stays on the way there and back, campground fees, and the shared fuel expense. You'll just need to pay for your own meals along the way. We're all about keeping these trips as economical as possible for all participants. We'll be sharing hotel rooms for two of the nights and car camping for two nights.

Payment for shared expenses due by Monday, June 16th at 5pm. It can be paid to Carl via Venmo, Zelle or cash.

If you don't think you have all the camping gear you need for this trip, please let us know. If you're just starting out, many of us in the group have extra gear that you can use so that you can attend without making a big investment. I'll send out a gear list prior to the event.

If you have dietary restrictions, please prepare snacks/meals ahead of time as many of the small towns we go through will not have many food options.

Itinerary:

Wednesday
Meet at Carl's home in Cedar Park at 3pm and leave for the hotel in Slaton, TX +/- 6 hour drive.
Stay overnight at Knights Inn Slaton.
4 people, 2 queen beds per room.
We will stop for dinner on the way to Slaton.

Thursday
Drive from Slaton to Blue Lakes Campground +/-7 hour drive.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recreation/recarea/?recid=12711
We will have breakfast and lunch on the way.
Setup camp Thursday afternoon and let ourselves acclimate to the altitude.
We will eat dinner at camp.
Vault toilets at the campground.

Friday
Breakfast at camp.
Climb West Spanish Peak.
7.9 miles round-trip, 2,624 ft elevation gain.
Lunch/snacks on the mountain.
Dinner in Cuchara, CO (or back at camp).
Cuchara is a quaint little town where you'll be able to grab some souvenirs and a burger/fries to refuel for Saturday's climb.

Saturday
Breakfast at camp.
Break down camp and pack up.
Climb East Spanish Peak.
9 miles round-trip, 3,221 ft elevation gain.
Lunch/snacks on the mountain.
Dinner on the way to our hotel.
We'll stop for the night in Raton, NM at the Robin Hood Motel.
4 people, 2 queen beds per room.

Sunday
Get up and start the drive back to Austin. +/-12 hour drive.
We will stop for breakfast and lunch on the drive home.
We typically arrive back home around 6pm.

Please reach out to me with any questions, suggestions or concerns. Hope to join you at the summit!