The Crestones

The Crestones generally refer to a group of 14,000 foot mountains located in the Sangre de Cristo range in Colorado. The prominent peaks include: Crestone Peak (14,294 ft, 4,357 m), Crestone Needle (14,197 ft, 4,327 m), Kit Carson Mountain (14,165 ft, 4,317 m), and Humboldt Peak (14,064 ft, 4,287 m); the Shuttle Peaks: Challenger Point (14,081 ft, 4,292 m) and Columbia Point (13,980 ft, 4261.1 m) sometimes called Kat Carson).

What makes the Crestones so special is their beauty and ruggedness. Rising above the Great Sand Dunes, the majestic peaks exemplify the Rocky Mountains. The Crestones offer excellent mountaineering and rock climbing. Crestone Needle’s Ellingwood Arête (ledges) was made famous in the 1981 book, Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Steven Roper. Crestone Needle was once thought to be “unclimbable” and was the last of the Colorado 14ers to be climbed.

Remote and rugged, the Crestones are not accessible by automobile and require a person to hike in to experience their beauty. Located between the San Luis Valley and the great plains, the Crestones are notorious for creating their own weather. Often you can see rain and thunder directly above the Crestones while the rest of Colorado is experiencing clear and sunny weather. The ruggedness and isolation, along with rapidly changing weather make the Crestones deadly as many climbers have lost their lives on or around these peaks.