Some of the most jagged and spectacular peaks in Colorado--The Crestones. Both the Peak (14,294) and the Needle (14,197) are also two of the most difficult 14'ers in Colorado. They lie in the narrow Sangre de Cristo Range in the south central part of the state. The best climbing season is from late June-September although there are some good snow/ice climbs also. There are several technical routes in the Crestone group including Ellingwood Ledges (part of Fifty Classic Climbs of North America) and the NW Pillar on the Peak.
Getting There
The shortest (although not best) approach to these peaks is via the East side. Drive to Westcliff from HW 96. Go 4.6mi. S on 69, the take 119 5.6mi to 120. Turn right and take the dirt road to a gate. Cars without 4WD Low should park here and walk the remaining 5mi to the trailhead. Those with a good vehicle can take the 4x4 trail. Note that this 4x4 trail is not easy. I would not attempt this trail in any vehicle w/out 4 low, good tires, and plenty of clearance. I was in 4-low for the whole 4 mi. and actually needed it many times. Anyway, we made it but the trail was very slow going and only beat the hikers in my group by 1/2 hr. This 4x4 trail get you ridiculously close to the mtns. A 1.5mi or so hike gets you to the camp. Alternative approach: From the West side, take the Cottonwood Creek trail 6mi. and about 4500ft of elevation gain to the lake on the Crestones SW side. I prefer this approach since there are far less people and the scenery is nicer.
The approach may be the crux. From the town of Crestone, drive south for 3.5 miles on Camino Baca Granda. Park close to the ashram (solar powered) which is just north of Willow Creek. Best approach is following Willow Creek on a trail that is faint at times. Start on the south side of the creek for the first 1/4 mile. Plan on fording the creek a few times. It would be hard to do this climb in a day from the road due to the approach (5+ mile...[more]
As of August 2008, the road from Westcliffe up the South Colony Lakes has been repaired and is in fairly good condition. Although the road is still rocky and at times steep, my 2WD 4-Runner made it to the parking lot without much trouble.
Hey, has anybody ever climbed the "Black Gendarme", the spectacular tower on the ridge between Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak? This tower is visible in the Mike Sofranko photo on the skyline left of the big gully (first photo on the Ellingwood Ledges page). We spotted a wicked crack on the SW side with slings at it's top. Looked wide and burly but was the only route evident on the west side. That is one wild tower!
That is an amazing looking tower, isn't it? Good ol' Harvey T. Carter claimed the first ascent of the Black Gendarme in the early 1960's. See W.M. Bueller's "Roof of the Rockies" for more details.
Does anyone know if the Ellingwood Ledges route and the Prow have been linked before? Since these are the two most famous climbs in the area, it seems like someone would have done this before, including the traverse between the Needle and the Peak as the approach to the Prow.
We were up there this weekend with really perfect weather. Wanting to avoid an insurance claim on the truck I just bought, it took us over 2hrs to complete the 5 mile 4wd road in my Dodge Ram 1500. It seems 4runners and jeeps have the easiest time on this road. We were told by several climbers on the way in that the last pitch on the headwall of Ellingwood Ledges is completely iced up, as well as the surrounding cracks. The days have been nice and warm lately (60's), but the nights dip below freezing. The headwall only gets a couple hours of sunlight each day probably not allowing time for the ice to thaw. To answer Bill Wrights question, it IS possible to do The Prow from the Ellingwood area. We hiked up the trail from "upper" S. Colony lake to the saddle of Humboldt peak, then broke NW along the ridge which will gradually drop you down to the Bears Playground. From here you can see the obvious awesome Prow about 2 miles away. Keep in mind you do not want to reverse the ridge at night. Several sections are only 3ft wide and some with snow and ice thats challenging enough in the middle of the day. Start early and haul ass and it can be done.
My partner and I did the Ellingwood Ledges & Peak Traverse part of the link up on Monday. I have done the Prow as well on a separate excursion. While I am no marathon maniac, the feat is doable. First off a good working knowledge of the traverse is mandatory as it isn't all that intuitive and is usually done in the reverse direction. After dropping all the way down the North/west couloir on Crestone Peak, it is most likely a long mile over to the start of the Prow on pretty reasonable terrain. Ending the day back at S. Colony is going to be the ball buster as going back up over the Bears Playground after all that ground is going to separate the men from the boyz so to speak. But then those of you who chase these dreams are made of the stuff the others of us only dream of.
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