Crestone Needle

14,197 ft · #23 highest in Colorado · Sangre de Cristo Range

Class 3 (scrambling)12 mi round trip5,100 ft gain

Elevation

14,197′

Difficulty

Class 3

Distance

12 mi

Elev. gain

5,100′

Nearest town

Westcliffe

County

Saguache

Range

Sangre de Cristo

Rank

#23

Crestone Needle is the spike-like summit immediately south of Crestone Peak. The standard route is a class 3 climb up the South Face — one of the cleanest class 3 climbs on a Colorado 14er.

Standard Route

From South Colony Lakes (4WD access), the trail climbs to Broken Hand Pass at 12,950 feet. From the pass, the South Face route ascends two parallel gullies (the East and West gullies) with class 3 climbing on conglomerate. 12 miles round trip.

What to Expect

The Crestone rock is conglomerate and surprisingly grippy. Some climbers prefer the East Gully (longer but easier route-finding) over the West (shorter but more committing). Both are solid class 3.