Spanning almost 8,000 square miles, the San Luis Valley is the world's largest alpine valley. The average altitude is 7,500 feet, so it can be very warm in the summer and very cold at night in the winter. With the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the Rio Grande to the west.
The San Luis Valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift, a split in the crust of the Earth where the sides are pulling away from each other. If the Valley floor were excavated, bedrock would be down about 30,000 feet, making the bottom of the Valley close to 4 miles below sea level. Over millenia, the mountains surrounding the Valley have eroded away, filling in the hole with rock, sand and earth. Quite a few streams flow into the Valley, only to sink into the ground before they go very far.
Getting There
This is part of the reorg of the Colorado site.
From the Denver Metro area you can go US 285 W all the way into the valley. You can also take I-70 to CO 91 through Breckinridge to US 24 S to US 285.
From Grand Junction, you can take US 50 E to US 285 near Poncha Springs, then go south on US 285.
From Durango, you can take US 160 E to US 285 N.
Resources
Camping is availabe at Penintente Canyon; however, it now costs a bit and has standard BLM regulations. Water is provided down the road from the climbing / camping area (another recent development - follow the signs), and the nearest 'goods' can be found at the 'La Garita Cash Store'.
There are a variety of small, charming B&B type accomodations throughout the valley, in Poncha Springs, La Garita, Del Norte. There are a smattering of motels/hotels in the area as well.
Alamosa is the largest town in the valley for supplies, etc.
According to Bob's book, this route was one of the first in the canyon. It starts in an overhanging dihedral just left of the beautiful lichen-covered wall that hosts "Sitting in Limbo" and "Cassandra". The crux comes at the beginning and involves powerful stemming up the overhanging corner to reach a gigantic pocket. The route above climbes up a pleasant lichen-covered slab. This route was originally climbed on gear, which was very bold, con...[more]
Hey, Honest mistake it's not often you meet a Colorado legend in the dark. Thought he was some bum trying to talk shit, "Yeah I wrote the guide book." Anyway, can't thank you enough for all the hard work Bob. About the ticks, I've seen a growing number of them in the past few years. (Castlewood, Penitente, Boulder,and Summit County) I seem to be a magnet for them, just a little heads up to all with dogs and little ones. Nasty little buggers.
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