South Zapata Lake - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 07/18/2025 - 07/20/2025
Elevation - 11,900'
Route - South Zapata Lake Trail
Miles - 9.0
Elevation Gain - 3,400'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Kennedy Just

Description

My daughter and I spent a few nights in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We backpacked in on Friday and took the South Zapata Lake Trail all the way to South Zapata Lake. We slightly underestimated the distance and elevation gain to the lake, but we eventually made it after around five hours on the trail. We took lots of breaks, got rained on, and Kennedy had to backtrack a bit to find her dropped sunglasses, but after reaching the lake we knew the hard work was worth it.

Once at the lake, we found a flat camp spot with good views and easy water access. We quickly set up the tent, organized our gear, and had dinner. We enjoyed the evening, had a warm drink, and then went to sleep fairly early since we were tired from the long hike in with full backpacks. We slept fairly well during the night but did get rained on again with a few hours of gusty winds. Kennedy's tent held up well and kept us dry and warm.

The following day, I did some day hiking to two Bi-Centennial Peaks in the area while Kennedy tended to camp and just relaxed in the backcountry. After I was done hiking, we ate, hydrated, enjoyed our time together, and played lots of cribbage. It rained on and off again all evening, so we spent more time in the tent than we would have preferred, but it was still a great time.

We got up fairly early on Sunday morning and backpacked out in half the time it took us to go in. We only took one break, our packs were lighter, and of course we were going downhill most of the way. We were also motivated to get home quickly for some real food, a shower, and some rest. On the drive home we were already thinking about our next trip.

Photos