California Peak, the 84th highest peak in Colorado, sits along the spine of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains directly north of Mt. Blanca.
The 13,855-foot thirteener is more specifically located on the Sierra Blanca Massif, 12.1 miles north of the Town of Blanca, on the drainage divide separating the Rio Grande National Forest and Alamosa County from San Isabel National Forest and Huerfano County.
There are two trailheads for climbing California Peak. Access from the west is through the Zapata Ranch subdivision (a gated community), and access from the east is from the Zapata Trail or Lily Lake Trail in Upper Huerfano Valley.