West Spanish Peak

West Spanish Peak
West Spanish Peak from the south
Highest point
Elevation	13,631 ft (4,155 m)[1][2]
Prominence	3,686 ft (1,123 m)[2]
Isolation	20.49 mi (32.98 km)[2]
Listing	North America highest peaks 87th US highest major peaks 70th Colorado highest major peaks 35th Colorado county high points 23rd
Coordinates	37°22′32″N 104°59′37″W / 37.3755699°N 104.9936101°W / 37.3755699; -104.9936101[3]
Geography
West Spanish Peak Colorado
Location	Huerfano County and the high point of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States[2]
Parent range	Culebra Range, Highest summit of the Spanish Peaks[2]
Topo map(s)	USGS 7.5' topographic map Spanish Peaks, Colorado[3]
Climbing
Easiest route	West Ridge: hike/scramble, class 2

West Spanish Peak is a high and prominent mountain summit that is the higher of the two Spanish Peaks in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 13,631-foot (4,155 m) peak is located in the Spanish Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 9.1 miles (14.7 km) south (bearing 175°) of the Town of La Veta, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide between Huerfano and Las Animas counties. The summit of West Spanish Peak is the highest point in Las Animas County, Colorado.^[1][2][3]

The Spanish Peaks are two large igneous stocks which form an eastern outlier of the Culebra Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. West Spanish Peak is the easternmost 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) mountain peak in the United States. Due to its position well east of the Culebra Range and on the edge of the eastern plains of Colorado, West Spanish Peak enjoys great local vertical relief in almost all directions. For example, it rises over 6,000 ft (1,800 m) in less than 6.5 miles (10.5 km) on both its north and south flanks. Though not a fourteener, West Spanish Peak is the twelfth most topographically prominent peak in the state.