La Garita Wilderness
View of the La Garita Wilderness area from the parking lot at the terminus of Forest Road 787
Map showing the location of La Garita Wilderness
Map showing the location of La Garita Wilderness
LocationHinsdale / Saguache / Mineral counties, Colorado, United States
Nearest cityMonte Vista, CO
Coordinates38°00′N 106°53′W / 38.000°N 106.883°W / 38.000; -106.883[1]
Area129,626 acres (524.58 km2)
Established1964
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service

The La Garita Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the La Garita Mountains of southern Colorado. The 129,626-acre (524.58 km2) wilderness established in 1964 in Gunnison and Rio Grande National Forests includes segments of the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. At 14,014 feet (4,271 m), San Luis Peak is the highest point in the wilderness area.[2][3][4]

One entrance to the wilderness area is via Forest Road 787 from Saguache Park and Cochetopa Park off State Highway 114 west of Saguache, Colorado. There is a parking lot for visitors to the wilderness area at the south end of FS 787. Cochetopa Park may also be entered from the east over Cochetopa Pass via Saguache County Road NN14.

Climate

La Garita Peak, 13,710 ft (4,179 m),[5] is the eponymous peak of the La Garita Wilderness and the La Garita Mountains. La Garita Peak has an Alpine climate (Köppen ET). There is no weather station at the summit, but this climate table contains interpolated data for an area around the summit.

Climate data for La Garita Peak 37.9342 N, 106.8651 W, Elevation: 13,579 ft (4,139 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 23.6
(−4.7) 		23.1
(−4.9) 		28.0
(−2.2) 		33.2
(0.7) 		41.7
(5.4) 		53.1
(11.7) 		58.1
(14.5) 		55.8
(13.2) 		50.1
(10.1) 		40.4
(4.7) 		30.2
(−1.0) 		23.8
(−4.6) 		38.4
(3.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 11.9
(−11.2) 		11.1
(−11.6) 		15.5
(−9.2) 		20.4
(−6.4) 		29.1
(−1.6) 		39.6
(4.2) 		44.7
(7.1) 		43.1
(6.2) 		37.4
(3.0) 		28.1
(−2.2) 		18.9
(−7.3) 		12.4
(−10.9) 		26.0
(−3.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 0.1
(−17.7) 		−0.8
(−18.2) 		3.1
(−16.1) 		7.7
(−13.5) 		16.4
(−8.7) 		26.0
(−3.3) 		31.4
(−0.3) 		30.4
(−0.9) 		24.8
(−4.0) 		15.8
(−9.0) 		7.7
(−13.5) 		1.0
(−17.2) 		13.6
(−10.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.36
(60) 		2.77
(70) 		3.24
(82) 		3.12
(79) 		2.24
(57) 		1.11
(28) 		3.73
(95) 		4.23
(107) 		3.97
(101) 		3.32
(84) 		2.95
(75) 		2.79
(71) 		35.83
(909)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[6]

References

  1. ^ "La Garita Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  2. ^ "La Garita Wilderness". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "La Garita Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  4. ^ Warren, Scott S. (2002). Exploring Colorado's Wild Areas: A Guide for Hikers, Backpackers, Climbers, X-C Skiers, and Paddlers (2nd ed.). Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers. ISBN 0898867843.
  5. ^ summitpost.org. "La Garita Peak". Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved November 3, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.


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