The Crestone Peaks from the Grand Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Photo by Mark Doiron

The Crestones were mountains I thought I would never get around to doing. I am so glad I finally decided to return. These are two of the finest mountains in Colorado, not just among 14ers, but among all mountains in Colorado. These peaks, along with the Ellingwood Arete, are a huge climber's gym, and stand among the loftiest and most beautiful mountains in the state. For tech climbers, it just doesn't get much better. High quality, super-hard conglomerate (metamorphic) rock is a special treat at such high altitudes. These are geologically very tough mountains that will be around long after the Elks and San Juans have crumbled into heaps of rubble. The wide variety of routes and combinations make this a wonderful playground for climbers of all abilities. I need to stress that these mountains are not suitable for beginning hikers and climbers unless they are being led by someone with experience, and preferably, know these mountains and the weather patterns of the Sangre De Cristo range. With experience and research, a visit to the Crestones is an event every hiker/climber will always recall fondly. You'll see a glint of excitement in their eye as well.

The main reason it took so long for me to return was the road. No doubt you've heard of the road to the trailhead by now. When I drove the road in '84, it was not a big deal because I owned a jeep. This notorious road is tailor-made for jeeps. My memory was foggy, so I relied on reports at this site and others. Most of them said the road had actually become worse over the years. Now the leasor of a Pathfinder (I love jeeps, but my body just can't take it anymore, so I've succumbed to luxury), we decided to take my sweetheart's Pathfinder, which she recently bought. What's fine for a jeep can be a challenge for a new SUV which you don't want to bang up. If you give it a chance, this road will certainly do that. This road will talk to you and get real intimate with your vehicle if you allow it. Great care is required to get a normal SUV without any extra packages up and down this road without serious damage. Experience in 4WD certainly helps. I managed to get through the ordeal only banging the side step bar once. Other incidents were minor brushes with rocks, usually coming out of an obstacle. If placing your SUV in such peril does not appeal to you, rent a jeep, or do like so many and hike the 5 miles in. I'd rather have the vehicle do the work than add all that mileage to an already well-worn body, with literally thousands of hiking miles and climbs registered on the ol' ticker. Keep in mind that from where ever you drive, it will take an SUV, driven with great care, 2 hours to cover these 5 ridiculously rocky miles of jeep road. Some folks think this is the second worst road in the state, the worst being the Como Lake road to the Blanca group. These folks haven't done much four-wheeling. The Holy Cross City Road, Williams Pass, Red Cone Pass, Poughkeepsie Gulch and of course, the Como Road, are all much, much worse. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate this road a 6 or 7.

Once I got over the need to commit to dealing with the road, the rest of the trip turned out to be heavenly, and among the most memorable experiences I've ever had in Colorado's mountains. Our plans were to climb the Peak first, since it was the longest and most time consuming goal. The Needle would be next, possibly in the same day. A bonus would be Humboldt, weather and our bodies permitting. We had a day's leeway to adjust the schedule as necessary.

Due to my arthritic neck condition, sleeping in a tent is no longer an option for me. Hence the need for the Pathfinder, in which Ellen and I would sleep. The two other members of the party, Jim and Brian, came up in a stout Toyota pickup and camped out just a ways from the trailhead, where the Pathfinder remained parked right at the gate for the duration. I managed to get through the outing without any headaches thanks to the Pathfinder, temporarily converted into a hotel. All climbs were staged from here.

Red Couloir Route
Photo and illustration by Alan Ellis

The climb of Crestone Peak was executed via the standard route, over the challenging Broken Hand Pass. Oddly enough, this stretch is actually more annoying than anything you'll encounter on the peaks. The climbing is fun, but the loose stuff on the lower half is unpleasant, and after a long day on the Peak, having to return down this stretch is a chore, but it's the admission price you must pay. The other side is green tundra, recently returned to a glorious, healthy appearance by much needed rain. Large cairns lead you down from Broken Hand Pass to Cottonwood Lake. This is a gorgeous alpine valley. The trail leads around and past the lake and a rock butress coming from the Needle, WNW to the valley directly below Crestone Peak. From here the trail leads you up to the right over some initial cliff bands to the entrance of the well known Red Couloir.

Climbing in the Red Couloir
Photo by ktiffany22

We climbed and climbed and climbed. This Red Couloir is a long haul, but great fun if you like climbing. We stayed right most of the time, climbing up washes that were clear of loose rocks and rubble. The rock is unbelievably solid and a joy to scramble on. We scurried up natural chutes, ladders, staircases and all sorts of challenges and courses. The upper half led to the inevitable scurry through loose stuff, but this was often at a less severe angle , involving hiking more than climbing. When we climbed down this section, we stayed on the side we climbed up to avoid sending down loose rocks. Whenever possible, we stayed on the solid red rock surfaces, ascending and descending.

The red saddle at the top of the couloir is an exciting place. You can look down the North Couloir from here, another well-regarded ascent and descent route for the Peak (Class 4), which would make a grand round trip, time and physical prowess permitting. From the saddle, we scrambled west up fairly exposed ledges (nothing really airy, but care is recommended) to the broken summit. This is a fun final pitch to a type of false summit, where you drop about five feet and then climb up onto the true summit with the North Couloir yawning below you. This is a truly magnificent summit, and the view, including all the Sangre 14ers and the Sand Dunes (a nice bonus) makes your effort suddenly seem worth while and almost forgotten.

The debate goes on about which summit of Crestone Peak is higher. It is reported that the west summit is the higher point. Some folks do both to be sure the peak is "climbed," or because they want to. Both summits certainly are a joy for any climber. Being on either one means you have climbed this awesome peak in my book. The mountain is actually giving you an option as to how you want to experience it. Revel in the mountain's diversity, and climb it the way you want to climb it, and consider it done! Few mountains offer such choices!

Descending the Red Couloir
Photo by Ryan Schilling

We returned the same way. A member of our party had been at sea level for the week before and his body was not appreciating all of the physical abuse at high altitude. Thus, Crestone Peak was a struggle for him all the way up, thus requiring more time than we would normally need for such a climb. The return was much slower. With the clouds building, and knowing the monsoon might make an appearance during our visit, we decided to climb the Needle the next day.

As for the Needle, we started our climb at 5:30, and like most folks you encounter, we were on top by 8:45 without many breaks, or the need for them. The climb up the standard route is indeed a climb, so for me, it was less tiring than a hike. You gain altitude quickly with less effort on such a climb as this, at least it seems that way for me. I was thrilled to be on this highly respected mountain, and the climb was very enjoyable. The south couloir was pleasantly free of debris and without a doubt, was the most solid piece of rock I've been on above 14,000 feet in my life.

Climbing the East Couloir on the South Face route of the Needle
Photo by Hasue

Gerry Roach states that when the going gets steep, look for an exit over to the west couloir. Most folks don't see such, and neither did we, so we climbed the route all the way up. What a fun scramble! The steep section can get dicey, and is borderline Class 4 for some folks. Staying focussed on what you're doing gets you through it. The summit is indeed spectacular, one of the best in Colorado. People who love summits and have been on lots of them will likely tell you the Needle is a favorite. The view is incredible.

Climbing in the West Couloir
Photo by James C

On our descent, one group went to the left side of the couloir. We stayed on the right. Both groups were following cairns. Brian was leading us down toward a fin of rock that seemed to steer us out of the east gully. He reported to me that the route was cairned and looked pretty good, so we agreed to try it. This turned out to be the west couloir, which was not as steep as the east couloir, but just as fun, and pleasantly quiet and shaded.

Cairns mark the exit back to the East Couloir and a 40 foot downclimb on vertical rock
Photo by big g

The exit out of this couloir occurs when it gets steep, presumably above some cliffs. The cairns led us out around the bottom of the fin on a fairly exposed but solid and very fun route. Dropping back into the east couloir, we down-climbed a wall of about 40 feet, directly back into the narrow V gully. This was an exciting and fun climb, but the exposure is considerable, so keep this in mind if you are considering the west gully as part of your route up or down.

The nice thing was it delivered us back just below the steep section Gerry Roach speaks of in his guide. Bypassing that with another challenge made for a fun "loop tour" of the Needle's couloirs. The other party was still trying to get down the steep section when we popped out from behind the fin to inform them that the west couloir was very enjoyable and a bit less of a hassle. Spotting this exit while climbing up would take a sharp eye for cairns, so it was easy for us to understand why everyone misses this option. Cairns might actually make the exit dangerous since the possibility of knocking them over off of this sheer wall would spell serious trouble for all below. If you happen to spot it and try it, I think you'll find it a fun alternative, provided everyone in your group is a good climber and exposure is not an issue.

We exited the couloir and soon figured out that the cairns we were following weren't necessarily the route. We ended up on a spectacular perch looknig off the Needle's east face. We looked around for other routes. The other group caught up to us. One of them, having been on the Needle before, was as confused as I was. We pow-wowed together and decided we had exited the couloir too early. So back in we went and dropped down further. We could see the trail below. The other group then took a lower trail while we elected to take the higher trail back. Once again, we ended up at airy perches that led nowhere. Intuitive route finding got us down eventually to the main trail and the pass. I must admit, in all my experience of climbing (36 years-yikes!), this is the only mountain that has managed to confuse me, and even worse, it was on the downclimb! I must admit I was a bit aloof, assuming this well-traveled 14er would have an obvious route and did not require my undivided attention.

A word to the wise: Pay attention to this mountain or it will humble you in a hurry. Do not climb it until you are certain of your climbing ability and exposure is not an issue. Do not climb either peak in questionable weather. An hour after we were back in camp, the monsoon arrived (finally) and poured for six hours. People were caught on this mountain-no doubt a very unpleasant experience, particularly if they weren't prepared. Thankfully, everyone managed to get down safely in between waves of rain and hail. Most groups seem to summit the Needle in 3 hours and the Peak in 5. If a member in your party is struggling (and we all have off days), a climb of the Peak is an all day affair. Super humans that do both peaks (or more) in one day are certainly admired for their physical ability, but I wonder if they are allowing themselves time to really enjoy the mountains.

This trip was ultimately the best I've ever been on for viewing wildlife. The Sangre De Cristo wilderness is a paradise for mountain dwelling species, which we saw in abundance. Bighorn sheep were everywhere. We saw two actual herds, one group with babies. We saw a mama with TWO babies above Broken Hand Pass, which was a real treat. We saw two elk, lots of hummingbirds, pica and marmots. The group (not me) saw mountain goats on Humboldt, and on our way down the road, we drove by a family of ptarmigan in their summer cammouflage. Mom, dad and three chicks! What a wonderful charge these critters were! Seeing all of these animals was the icing on an already exemplary trip.

The final day, the group was on the trail at 5:30am and summited Humboldt by 7:45. Having climbed Humboldt in '84 and nursing an unexpected toe blister, I elected to remain at the car and prep it for our departure. In a week we were going to be in the San Juans for 5 days, and I didn't want to jeaopardize that trip with an angry toe. We left at 11:11am, hoping to beat the weather before it turned the already gnarly jeep road into a real muddy nightmare. We pulled in at Pizza Doughmain, in Silver Cliff, at about 1:00 and enjoyed "real" (grease-drenched and yummy) pizza before hitting the highway back for home.

Hopefully my long and wordy report will give you the information you need to feel comfortable about considering climbing these mountains. Make plans and stick to them. Remember:

1. Climb these mountains when you are certain it is within your ability to do so. Practice on Arapaho Peaks, Kelso Ridge, Sawtooth Traverse (Mt. Evans) or Wetterhorn. If you are comfortable with rock faces, difficult terrain and exposure, these peaks will be enjoyable and certainly regarded as favorites.

2. Unless you're willing to commit to 10 additional miles of backpacking, use a 4WD on the road to the trailhead, preferably a short wheel based vehicle such as a jeep, although an SUV will certainly do okay if you exercise care and take it slow. Prior 4WD experience is a plus.

3. Do not even think of attempting a climb in questionable weather. Normal monsoon storms are common every day (except in drought years), starting about 12 or so. Earlier storms are common, and the Sangres are well known for their howling, gale-forced winds. Retreat from these peaks in nasty weather is difficult and your options, especially if climbing without ropes, are limited.

Good luck on your trip! I hope you enjoy the Crestones as much as I did. After this trip, they are in my top favorite mountains, and I've climbed a lot of Colorado peaks in my time. That should tell you something about the Crestones...

Aaron Johnson

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