Located in Chaffee County, Colorado, La Plata Peak is a mountain peak at about 4,369 m (14,334 ft) above sea level. It is part of San Isabel National Forest. It sits roughly 29 km (18 mi) SSW of Leadville.
La Plata Peak is the fifth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent 14,343-foot (4,372 m) fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 22.7 miles (36.5 km) northwest by west (bearing 308°) of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. "La Plata" is Spanish for "The Silver", a reference to the many silver deposits in the area. The nearby ghost towns of Winfield and Hamilton were prominent silver mining towns in the early part of the 20th century. A Hayden Survey team first climbed the peak on July 26, 1873. The elevation of 14,361 feet marked on the USGS Mount Elbert Quadrangle is incorrect, and should read 14,336 feet (in the NGVD 29 vertical datum).From the Wikipedia article “La Plata Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At La Plata Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 59° ENE | 8:36 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 120° ESE | 4:47 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 25m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 27m |
Local time (America/Denver), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From La Plata Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:48 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:20 AM – 4:00 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:33 PM – 3:33 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 2:16 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:12 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:07 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:57 PM – 8:07 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.76 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 36 | 34 | 55 | 61 | 75 | 82 | 82 | 78 | 78 | 69 | 54 | 43 |
| Low °F | -26 | -34 | -23 | -12 | 4 | 19 | 29 | 27 | 10 | -7 | -29 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of La Plata Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Wilderness Area
Mountain Pass
Ghost Town
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Twin Peaks (Co)6.2 km (3.8 mi) · reservable
- Twin Peaks Campground6.2 km (3.8 mi)
- Crescent Mining Camp6.5 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Parry Peak6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Parry Peak Campground6.9 km (4.3 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph La Plata Peak?
What time is golden hour at La Plata Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at La Plata Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from La Plata Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at La Plata Peak?
How far is La Plata Peak from Leadville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.