Crestone Needle 14er Hike Guide
Crestone Needle is a rugged, yet beautiful 14er located in the Sangre de Cristo range of Southern Colorado. It is one of the hardest standard routes up a Colorado 14er but luckily the Class 3 and Class 4 climbing is on solid quality rock. This mountain is one of my favorites of the 14er group and is arguably one of the most beautiful summits on a clear day. A trip up the Needle will test your scrambling and route finding skills but leave you with dramatic summit views in all directions.
Crestone Needle Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Crestone Needle
Hike Rating: Crestone Needle ( 5/5 ★★★★★ Stars)
Distance: 11.8 Miles RT 4×4 TH, 17.8 Miles RT Lower TH
Elevation Start: 9,928ft 4×4 TH, 8,800ft Lower TH
Highest Point: 14,203ft
Total Elevation Gain: 4,560ft 4×4 TH, 5560 Lower TH
Estimated Time to Complete: 8-12 Hours Total
Difficulty: Difficult Difficulty System Explained
Class: Class 4 (Easy to find more difficult scrambling) What does this mean?
Season: June – October (expect snow outside of this period)
Weather: Check the Weather Forecast
Directions to Crestone Needle
Trailhead: South Colony Lakes
Getting Here: Although there are other ways to attempt this hike, the most popular starting point would be from the South Colony Lakes TH. First step is to navigate to the small town of Westcliffe. Since there are many ways to get here, I will leave out directions. Once in Westcliffe, turn onto 6th St (CO69) south. Continue on for 4.5 miles until you reach Colfax Avenue on your right. Take Colfax for 5.6 miles until the road “ends” and take a right here to continue up towards the lower parking area on your right. If you are driving up to the upper parking area, it’s another 3 miles. This road is very rough and requires a high clearance AWD or 4WD vehicle. As of 2024, the first mile is, generally speaking, the roughest but this will change year over year. You can enter “South Colony Lakes” into your favorite navigational device.
Parking: There are two main lots for this hike, the upper area and lower area. As mentioned above, the upper area requires higher clearance and AWD or 4WD. The lower lot can fit about 15-20 cars and will fill up on busy weekends. The top lot can fit about 20 cars or so and will also get full on busier weekends. Neither area has a bathroom, so bring your TP and squatting stance.
Fees: None as of 2024
Summary
Camping: There is a lot of camping for the Crestone Needle. The first spots are before the upper parking area along the road. There are scattered spots at the upper parking area and along the trail to the Colony Lakes. Once at the South Colony Lake, this is by far the most popular spot to camp near the mountain itself if you are looking to make this a multiday trip. PLEASE take care of this area and follow all wilderness area camping rules. Even on busy weekends (Labor Day, 4th of July etc.) there still should be plenty of room up here to camp, but get there early because it will get crowded.
Dogs: There is no planet where I would recommend bringing a dog up Crestone Needle.
Make it a Loop: Although you can do the Needle on its own, there are plenty of additional hiking options in the area like the Crestones Traverse and Humboldt Peak to name a few.
Trail X Factors: Broken Hand Pass
When hiking up to Crestone Needle you must first tackle Broken Hand Pass. This area of “trail” is by far the worst of the entire hike. Trail conditions range from loose rock to loose dirt with a Class 3 move as the crux of this section. After you gain the pass, you will have much more solid rock quality and scrambling ahead of you but don’t forget that you have to go down again.
Hike Tip(s): Although the route up Crestone Needle consists of mostly solid rock quality, do not get complacent. After the Class 4 section of this hike there are a few areas that have loose dirt which can be a real pain in the butt, especially on the way down. Speaking of the way down, be sure to descend the correct couloir. It could be very easy to go down the west couloir vs the south couloir. When going down, don’t descend too far either, you will end up in a mess of loose rock and a dangerous situation.
Best Views: The route up Crestone Needle has some of the best 14er views in Colorado and the summit is absolutely breathtaking. The first time I climbed the Needle, I was in peak bagging mode and absolutely did not appreciate how stunning this entire hike was. Before the real climbing even begins, soak in South Colony Lake as it is said to rival the infamous Maroon Bells view.
Crestone Needle Hike Route
Gear Needed
- 14er Day Hike Packing List
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- La Sportiva Cyklone
- Backpack (Winter)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Running Vest Black
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Helmet
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro 360, Drone, Insta360
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