Crestones
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Crestones
| photo = Crestone peaks fall.jpg
| photo_size =
| photo_caption = Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle seen from the south
| etymology =
| country = United States
| subdivision1_type = State
| subdivision1 = Colorado
| parent = Sangre de Cristo Range
| geology =
| orogeny =
| area_mi2 = | area_ref =
| length_mi = | length_ref =
| length_orientation=
| width_mi = | width_ref =
| width_orientation =
| highest = Crestone Peak
| elevation = {{convert|14300|ft|m|0}}
| elevation_ref = {{cite opentopomap|Crestone Peak|37.966667|-105.585287|2023-01-02}}
| coordinates = {{coord|37.9666665|N|105.5852865|W|type:mountain_region:US-CO_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline}}
| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=192423|name=Crestone Peak|access-date=November 14, 2014}}
| listing = Mountain ranges of Colorado
| map = USA Colorado
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| range_coordinates = {{coord|37.9668400|N|105.5853471|W|region:US-CO|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates_ref= {{cite gnis|id=203952|name=Crestone Peaks|access-date=January 2, 2023}}
}}
The Crestones are a group of four {{convert|14,000|ft|m|adj=on}} peaks (fourteeners) in the Sangre de Cristo Range above Crestone, central southern Colorado, comprising:
- Crestone Peak ({{convert|14,294|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} )
- Crestone Needle ({{convert|14,197|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} )
- Kit Carson Mountain ({{convert|14,165|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} )
- Humboldt Peak ({{convert|14,064|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} )
Snow is usually mostly melted by early July. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.
Climbing
- Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle are rock scrambles (Class 3) with some exposure.
- Kit Carson Mountain is a walk-up (Class 2), but only if the correct route is carefully followed; it has claimed more lives than Crestone Peak or Crestone Needle. Challenger Point ({{convert|14,081|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} ) and Columbia Point ({{convert|13980|ft|m|0|adj=on}}) are sub-peaks of Kit Carson Mountain.
- Humboldt Peak is the easiest of the four, with a straightforward walk-up route. Sometimes Humboldt is not included in the term "The Crestones."
Broken Hand Peak, {{convert|13573|ft|m|abbr=on}}, southeast of Crestone Needle, is included within the official name "Crestone Peaks". Mount Adams ({{convert|13,931|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} ) is a notable peak just to the north of the Crestones, and is quite rugged.
Note that Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle are somewhat more technical climbs than many Colorado fourteeners; caution is advised. About one person per year is killed on the Crestones; occasionally they are skilled mountaineers.{{cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/plano/2010/08/03/Plano-mountaineers-fall-to-their-deaths-4533|title=Plano mountaineers fall to their deaths in Colorado|first=Matthew|last=Haag|publisher=The Dallas Morning News|date=August 3, 2010|access-date=January 16, 2018}}
See also
{{portal|Geography|North America||United States|Colorado|Mountains}}
- Rocky Mountains
- Southern Rocky Mountains
- Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- Sangre de Cristo Range
- Geography of Colorado
- Mountain ranges of Colorado
- Mountain peaks of Colorado
- Mountain passes of Colorado
- Outline of Colorado
- Index of Colorado-related articles
{{clear}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=37.97&lon=-105.5805&size=m&symshow=n&datum=nad83&layer=DRG100&s=200 The Crestones on TopoQuest]
- {{gnis|203952|Crestone Peaks or Crestone Group}}
- [http://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=9185 Well illustrated trip report of climbs of Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak via Broken Hand Pass]
{{Commons category|Crestones|position=left}}
{{Colorado|state=collapsed}}
Category:Fourteeners of Colorado
Category:Sangre de Cristo Mountains