La Plata Canyon is in an area west of Durango (on the way to Cortez) with many options. We suggest starting out early as it often rains in the afternoon. There are a series of trails and a guide map to tell you were to go to hike through beautiful alpine flowers, columbine, and orchids to a nice alpine lake. This is an ideal spot for your picnic as long as its not too late in the afternoon as afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. This could be an all-day event, so bring a lunch, water, a jacket. In the winter, LPC is great for fat biking. From the main parking area, you can hike toward the left and find an old abandoned mine. If you go right, you will cross a creek and follow along to see an old mining cabin, and other mining remnants. If you don’t turn off of La Plata Canyon road, eventually you will come to Kennebec Pass. However, most people and most cars cannot just drive up to Kennebec pass because it is an unimproved road that usually requires the use of a high clearance 4×4. So another option is to go as far as your car will allow, and hike or bike to the pass.