Lookout Mountain

The La Garita Mountains are a high mountain range in the San Juan Mountains, a sub-range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The mountains are located in Saguache and Mineral counties in southwestern Colorado and are almost entirely managed as public land within the Rio Grande National Forest.

The La Garita Mountains extend from near the town of Creede east and northeast over 30 miles (48 km) toward the San Luis Valley. The range is marked by a circuitous ridge with the westernnmost peak being Phoenix Peak (elevation 13,895 feet (4,235 m)) near the Continental Divide and the easternmost peak being Lookout Mountain (elevation 11,516 feet (3,510 m)) near Carnero Pass.

La Garita means 'the lookout' in Spanish. Along this range climbers can look south across the upper Rio Grande Valley and east across the San Luis Valley.

The western third of the La Garita Mountains is protected within the La Garita Wilderness, one of Colorado's lesser-known wilderness areas. Travel in the wilderness is restricted to those on foot and horseback, while the remainder of the range is more accessible with multiple roads allowing mechanized travel. The range includes montane and subalpine forests and meadows and alpine tundra that provide ideal habitats for elk and mule deer.