Located in the Rockies of southern Colorado, Crestone Needle is in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range. It ranks 20th in the state and is one of Colorado's 54 fourteen-thousand foot mountains. The Needle was first climbed by Albert Ellingwood and Eleanor Davis on July 24, 1916 via the Crestone Peak/Needle Traverse.

With the easiest route being Class 3, the mountain is considered one of the hardest 14ers to climb. The easiest route is the South Face, class 3, grade II, which is very popular, but can be challenging for the novice peakbagger. The Ellingwood Ledges/Arete route 5.7, grade III, is also popular due to the 1979 book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. Regardless of the route, this mountain demands respect. Otherwise, this is a spectacular mountain and highly recommended for those seeking a challenge and real climbing adventure!

The Sangre de Cristo mountain range is a spectacular collection of peaks which stretches 250 miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Salida, Colorado. Please note the left side bar which features all the mountains in the Sangre de Cristos, both in Colorado and New Mexico.

Getting There

Crestone Needle is located in south central Colorado approximately 12 miles southwest of Westcliffe. There are several trailheads, the most popular being the South Colony Lakes trailhead on the east side of the range near Westcliffe. The reason it is so popular is because you can drive a 4WD vehicle within 2 miles of the mountain. There is another trailhead on the west side of the range called Cottonwood Creek located on private property. Cottonwood Creek Trail is poorly maintained below the timberline -- it's very narrow with lots of downed trees. (Bob Webster 8-17-03) See Red Tape section for more Cottonwood Creek instructions.

From Westcliffe, Colorado: Drive southwest on highway 69 about 4.5 miles to Colfax Lane (CO119) where there is a Forest Service sign. Turn right (south) and go another 5.5 miles until the road ends, then turn right (going west) on South Colony Road (Forest Service Road 120) for 1.5 miles where there is a fairly large parking lot on the right. 2WD vehicles can park here but recent improvements in the road (July 2006) allow 2WD vehicles to continue for another two miles to near the Rainbow Trail marker and the first creek crossing. After this, the next three miles are an extremely rough 4WD road (FR120). There is another parking lot at the end of the 4WD road.

Upon arrival at the end of the road, there is a huge steel gate. Pass through the gate to either side and follow the road and the well-worn trail about a mile to Lower South Colony lake. Just before arrival at the lower lake, the trail forks and a small wooden sign (photo) will greet you. The sign says, "Crestone Needle Standard Route," with an arrow pointing to the left. Take the left fork to begin the approach to Broken Hand Pass. Take the right fork if looking for a campsite or if heading for the upper lake to do the Ellingwood Arete.

See the left side-bar for a list of summit routes which begin at the steel gate.

Sunrise on Crestone Needle, August 2001. Photo by Jack Brauer

SOUTH COLONY ROAD UPDATE: MARCH 28, 2006

The Forest Service has initiated a scoping process as a preliminary action for doing an environmental assessment for management changes in the South Colony Lakes Basin in the Sangre de Cristo range of southern Colorado.

The FS is proposing the following, and requesting public input.

1) close the South Colony jeep road to vehicle travel (except for emergency and administrative uses) approximately 2.5 miles below the current terminus of this road.
2) construct a parking area, toilet(s), and camping facilities near the proposed road closure point.
3) prohibit campfires within 1 mile of Lower and Upper South Colony Lakes.
4) restrict camping within 1 mile of Lower and Upper South Colony Lakes to "designated campsites" only.

The road closure point will be about 1/2 mile west of the junction with the Rainbow Trail and immediately before the first stream crossing. A parking lot, toilets, information kiosk, footbridge, and camping facilities would be constructed near the closure point, with hardened camping sites on both sides of the stream. Regarding the campfire ban, this is reflective of the overuse of firewood gathering near the lower lake. Most lower dead branches on live trees have been broken off, and campers are breaking off old bristlecone and subalpine fir branches from live trees. The lower parts of the Basin have more abundant firewood resources.

Backcountry use in the upper Basin is exceeding FS standards for "crowding" on every summer weekend and many weekdays. Restricting camping in the upper Basin to designated campsites will protect the resource, allow the most environmentally stable sites to be hardened and managed for sustained camping use, and will allow 50+less desirable sites tob e reclaimed and revegetated. The road continues to deteriorate with subsequent damage to vehicles attempting to drive the road. Also, re-routing of the road is not an option. From the 2-wheel drive parking lot at the very bottom, the existing road crosses 1.5 miles of private land before entering the national forest, open to the public under an apparent county easement. The landowners do not want public camping or parking on their property.

Further, there is a need to protect the $500,000 cash, and 40,000 volunteer hours, investment in trail restoration and hardened climbing routes in the upper Basin. The rebuilt routes are handling the current use level, but likely will deteriorate if recreation use continues to increase at the present rate. The Rocky Mountain Field Institute of Colorado springs (formerly the American Mountain Foundation) is partnering with the University of Colorado in a study to determine the appropriate recreation use level in the Basin thatis most compatible with protection of the resource and maintaining an acceptable social experience (meaning you didn't have a Grays/Torreys "mob" experience).

There is some discussion of a fee system for the area. However, that would be a separate environmental assessment. The FS is not asking for comments on fees at this time.

Downside of the proposed changes, per the FS, is that removing easy vehicle access may not solve the problems of too many persons in the upper Basin (note that only about 15% of users are motorized recreationists, with the remainder being primarily 14er climbers). Making east side access more difficult may cause more use from the west side, where the trails are mostly primitive in nature and there are private land concerns.

CMC Conservation expects to endorse the four basic FS proposals as they are an attempt to preserve the resource while still allowing for good access by the climbing community. However, we also would like to solicit comments from CMC leaders and other activists. We may ask for individual comments when a proposed environmental assessment is released by the FS later this year. Please send any thoughts you may have to me, as I will be writing the CMC comments, as requested by Vera Smith, our Conservation Director, since I do most of the Club's access work.

Thanks very much.

Steve Bonowski, Sr. Policy Advisor
CMC Conservation Department

AS OF JUNE 27, 2007, THE ROAD IS STILL OPEN TO THE UPPER 4-WHEEL DRIVE TRAILHEAD. THE FOREST SERVICE IN WESTCLIFFE REPORTS THAT THERE IS NOT A DEFINITE DATE FOR CLOSING THE ROAD, BUT THAT PLANS ARE IN THE WORKS. THE ROAD SHOULD BE OPEN ALL SUMMER OF 2007.

Route from South Colony Lakes to Broken Hand Pass. Photo and editing by Alan Ellis

Red Tape

Crestone Needle is located in the San Isabel National Forest inside the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area. No permits are required. Although the entire range, the mountain, and South Colony Lakes are in the wilderness area, the 4WD forest service road (FR120) is not. The Forest Service has created a three mile narrow non-wilderness corridor which takes you within two miles of South Colony Lakes. Rangers make daily drives up to the lakes area in the summer.

San Isabel National Forest, San Carlos Ranger District, 3170 E. Main, Canon City, CO 81212. Phone: (719) 269-8500, Fax: (719) 269-8719. Westcliffe has a small one-man ranger station: (719) 783-2079. As of June 2007, the ranger was Jeff Outhier.

If attempting to climb Crestone Peak from the Cottonwood Creek trailhead in the San Luis Valley, there is private property which must be crossed. This property belongs to the Manitou Foundation. As of 2007, they are no longer granting permission to cross their property. Contact info: P.O. Box 130, Crestone, CO 81131. Phone: (719) 256-4267 Email: spirit@manitou.org

When To Climb

The Needle in late September. Photo by Brad Snider

As with most Colorado high peaks, late June through mid September are best for summer season climbs. However, the mountain has also been climbed in the dead of winter by experienced winter mountaineers. September can be a wonderful time to climb. The weather settles as fall high pressure systems move through and provide several continuous days of cool, clear skies. Otherwise, violent afternoon thunderstorms are a daily occurance. Regardless of the route, start very early. Storms typically hit early afternoon and can last until after dark.

Mountain Conditions

The rock on Crestone Needle is knobby conglomerate rock. These knobs are pretty solid but have been known to pull out. You can see the knobby rock in the pictures below.

As with any Colorado high peak, conditions can change from year to year depending on weather, snowfall, etc. Crestone Needle is known for rockfall, especially late in the day. A helmet is recommended for all routes.

The 400 ft couloir up the east side of Broken Hand Pass is a moderate snow slope which can linger until July. Some years the snow never melts entirely. As the climbing season begins, climbers stomp steps into the slope, and people use the same steps over and over. However, in the morning, these steps and the entire slope are icy and treacherous. Later in the day the steps and the slope are slushy. Some carry an ice axe for self-arrest just for this section.

Crestone Needle Weather

Camping

Good camping can be found near South Colony Lakes. Photo by Sisyphus

Camping is allowed throughout the South Colony Lakes area. No camping within 300 feet of the lakes. In addition, there are several unofficial Forest Service camping sites along the 4WD road. These sites are typically used by car campers, fishermen, etc. Camping is not allowed in the 1.5 miles between the 2WD parking lot and the Forest Service boundry.

There are several Forest Service campgrounds nearby. The closest is Alvarado, located on CO140, 5 miles west of highway 69, and one mile north of the Colfax Lane turnoff. Alvarado has 47 sites and can accomodate up to a 35 foot RV (no hookups). Alvarado is at 9000 ft which is a good place to spend the night and acclimate. Alvarado campground host: (719) 489-2744. There are other Forest Service campgrounds in the area. None have showers but most have rest rooms and drinking water. Call the Forest Service at (719) 269-8500 or (719) 783-2079 for more information on other FS campgrounds nearby.
Online Campground Guide

Grape Creek RV Park: 2 miles south of Westcliffe. (719) 783-2588.

Eberling Mobile Home and RV Park: In Silvercliff on the east side of Westcliffe. (719) 783-9778. Coin operated showers and laundromat.

Local Stuff

There are two other 14ers accessible from the South Colony Lakes area: Humboldt Peak 14,064, and Crestone Peak 14,294.

Westcliffe has a grocery store on the west end of town.
Pay showers and a laundromat are available at the Eberling Mobile Home and RV park in Silvercliff on the east side of Westcliffe.

More information on the area: Westcliffe Chamber of Commerce: Toll Free 1-877-793-3170.

Maps

San Isabel National Forest Map
Crestone Peak USGS Quadrangle

Maps below are of the Crestone Needle/South Colony general area, approach, and routes.

For Further Information......

Feel free to E-Mail me if you need any further information. I love to chat about this mountain.

Alan

External Links

Custer County (Westcliffe) website
Lists restaurants, lodging, shopping, activities, and events in the Custer County and Westcliffe area.
Customized Topographic Maps
National Geographic customized topos. Great maps which are waterproof and shaded relief.
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Weather: Zone Forcast for Crestone Area
Zone: Del Norte Vicinity
Sun/Moon Rise and Set Table
Cool site to figure sun/moon rise and set for any date or location in the U.S.
Customized Topos and more.
Customized topographic maps which are waterproof and shaded relief. Site also has guidebooks and other stuff.
Alan Ellis' Climb of Ellingwood Arete
Trip report and photos of a climb of Ellingwood Arete in July 2001.
Crestone Linkup
Great trip report of a one day ascent of Crestone Needle, Crestone Peak, Challenger Point, and Kit Carson.
Crestone Needle & Humboldt Peak
Team Arp Climbs Ellingwood Ledges
Crestone Needle - Pk. to Ndl. Traverse + (09/17/2005)
14ers.com - The Home of Colorado's Highest Peaks
Fourteener Photos, Route Descriptions, Forum, and more...

Images



[ View Gallery - 212 More Images ]