La Veta Pass threads a gap between Blanca and the southern Sangres. Here the San Luis Valley floor is over 8,000 feet with Blanca rising to 14,345 feet. As such it is the fourth highest peak in Colorado.

According to the Blanca town website, "Mt. Blanca has been sacred to Native American tribes in the West for centuries. It was often the site of their vision quests." http://www.fone.net/~blancaco/Index.htm)