Crestone Needle 14er Hike Guide
Crestone Needle is a Class 4 14er in the Sangre de Cristo Range of southern Colorado and it is one of the hardest standard routes up a Colorado 14er. It is a full day of 8-12 hours, with about 4,560 feet of elevation gain from the upper 4×4 trailhead and the Class 3 and Class 4 climbing is on some of the best quality rock on any 14er. This mountain is commonly combined with Crestone Peak creating the much more difficult Crestone Traverse ridge scramble.
Crestone Needle is one of my favorites of any Colorado 14er 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. The biggest challenges are the loose, steep conditions on Broken Hand Pass, the long approach and route finding up the many gullies before the ridge line.
Crestone Needle Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
| Hike Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Area | Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado |
| Trailhead | South Colony Lakes |
| Distance | 11.8 Miles Total – 4×4 TH 17.8 Miles Total -Lower TH |
| Route Type | Out & Back |
| Elevation Start | 9,928ft – 4×4 TH 8,800ft – Lower TH |
| Highest Elevation | 14,203ft |
| Total Elevation Gain | 4,560ft – 4×4 TH 5,560ft – Lower TH |
| Estimated Time to Complete | 8-12 Hours Total |
| Difficulty | Difficult – What does this mean? |
| YDS Class | Class 4 – What does this mean? |
| Exposure | High |
| Best Season | June – October |
| Activity Type | Hiking, Scrambling |
| Crowds | Low |
| Dogs Allowed | No |
| Permit/Fee | No |
| Last Hiked Date | 9.7.24 |
Crestone Needle Virtual Trail Guide
In this virtual trail guide you’ll see the trailhead, route conditions, navigation tips, difficult sections, summit views, what to expect throughout the hike and of COURSE, my unique experience on this hike.
Crestone Needle Route Map & GPX
The map below shows the route that I followed for this hike. GPX files are available through a suggested donation of $3-$5. Creating and maintaining hiking guides, videos and GPX files takes a tremendous amount of time. Your support helps keep The Virtual sherpa running, covers website hosting costs and allows me to continue creating free hiking content.
After making a donation, click the button below to send me an email with the hike name in the subject line. I’ll send the GPX file as soon as possible.
Crestone Needle Directions & Parking
Protected Area Type: National Forest; Wilderness Area
Protected Area Name: San Isabel National Forest; Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Trailhead: South Colony Lakes
Coordinates: 37.976573, -105.505
Directions to Trailhead: Directions to Crestone Needle Upper Trailhead, Directions to Crestone Needle Lower Trailhead
Driving Directions: From Westcliffe, Colorado navigate to the lower parking area which is on paved or well maintained dirt roads. Immediately after this point, the dirt road will get significantly more rough, requiring high clearance AWD or a 4WD vehicle and a good driver. The first mile after the lower trailhead is, generally speaking, the roughest but this will change year over year. Continue on another 2.5 miles to reach the upper trailhead where the road ends.
Parking: There are two main lots for this hike, the upper area and lower area. As mentioned above, the upper area requires higher clearance 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 + squatting stance and be sure to pack out all trash.
Permits or Reservation/Fee Description: Crestone Needle does not require a permit or fee.
Crestone Needle Trail Overview
The trail to Crestone Needle starts at either the Lower or Upper South Colony Lake trailhead. If starting down low, start with 3 miles of boring road hiking to reach the upper trailhead. From here, the hike continues on an old Forest Service road until splitting left away from the Humboldt Peak trail. Continue away from the mountain before looping back closer to it, hiking over South Colony Lakes and eventually reaching the climb up Broken Hand Pass. This section of trail is extremely loose and rocky so be sure to wear a helmet and test all of your holds.
After you gain the pass, the trail splits again, straight down goes to Crestone Peak and right goes up the Crestone Needle. The rock quality gets much more solid and shortly after a small downclimb, the true scrambling begins. The trail starts with solid Class 2 and Class 3 scrambling before reaching sections of Class 4 towards the middle of the gully. Past the Class 4 moves there are a few areas of loose dirt before gaining the ridge. From here, hike a few hundred yards to the summit. On the way down, be sure to descend the south couloir (same way you came up) and not the west couloir which you have to hike by before descending.
Plan Your Hike
Check Weather: Crestone Needle Weather
Camping: There is a lot of camping for the Crestone Needle. The first spots are before the upper parking area along the road between the lower and upper trailheads. There are also scattered spots at the upper parking area and along the trail to the South Colony Lakes. Once at the lower 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.
Bathrooms: None at either the upper or lower parking area
Hazards: Route Finding, Loose Rock, Exposure, Lightning, Rockfall, Weather Exposure
Dog Description: There is no planet where I would recommend bringing a dog up the Crestone Needle. The terrain is too steep, unforgiving on their paws and dangerous.
Water Sources: There are fairly reliable water sources until departing South Colony Lake at which point there are no further options to filter. However, you should be able to carry less water than you need for the whole day and filter along the way if you plan it right.
Drones: – Crestone Needle is not a drone friendly hike as drones are not allowed in any US Wilderness areas. Please always follow all drone regulations.
Crestone Needle Hike Tip(s): If you plan on hiking Crestone Needle in a day, be sure to start early. This hike will likely take a lot longer than you think as its one of Colorado’s hardest 14ers. Bring a helmet, lots of food and water + the ability to filter if you want to save some weight. Additionally, I would highly recommend downloading my .gpx and watching my full guide before hiking as the gully you ascend and come down is important to not mess up.
Best Views: The hike 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.
Primary Attractions: Summit Views, Alpine Lake, Ridgeline, Wildflowers
Gear Needed
New to 14ers? This is What to pack for a 14er day hike.
Required Gear
- Hoka Mafate 5 – My go to hiking shoes and trail runners
- La Sportiva Cyklon – Great for scrambling
- Osprey Talon 22 Backpack
- Sunglasses
- Running Hat – Save 15% Using “DMRCMickey15”
- Base Layers
- T Shirt
- Mid Layer / Sun Hoodie
- Rain Jacket / Shell – Black Diamond
- Mountain Hardwear Puffy Jacket
- REI Sahara Pants
- North Face Wander Shorts
- Socks
- Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Helmet
Seasonal Gear
Optional Gear
- Water Filter
- Garmin inReach
- Headlamp
- Garmin Fenix Watch
- UD Running Vest
- Osprey Running Vest
- Film Gear: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro Max 2 , Drone, Insta360
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
More Hikes in the Area
- Crestone Traverse – combing both Crestone Needle + Crestone Peak in a Class 5, classic ridge scramble.
- 14er Humboldt Peak
- Columbia Point – Previously a 13er Centennial, but recently removed from the list.