Crestone Needle

Planning on driving down to the trailhead and hiking in Thursday night and doing Ellingwood Ledges Friday morning.

I'm not aware of any guidebooks with the route in it, but between MP and Summit Post I feel confident in the info I have.

Does anyone have any more specific info on the descent? Also, what is the approach like right now? I have heard rumors the 4WD road has been closed further up, and that the approach is now considerably longer. Can anyone provide any insight?

Thanks!

Sagar Gondalia wrote:Does anyone have any more specific info on the descent? Also, what is the approach like right now? I have heard rumors the 4WD road has been closed further up, and that the approach is now considerably longer. Can anyone provide any insight? Thanks!

I did it a few years ago...approach is 2-3 miles of dirt road/easy trail walking until you get to the upper lake and start the route. The route is in Roach's 14ers book but the online descriptions are better.

Reverse the standard needle walk up route to get off...easy, just don't go down the cliffed out gully. http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=cnee1&peak=Crestone+Peak+and+Crestone+Needle

It is a long day of mostly class 3/4 scrambling...move fast.

Just did Crestone Needle (direct start)last week with a traverse to Crestone Peak and descent from there down the Northwest Colouir. Stayed overnight at the upper 4x4 parking lot/campground and hiked in from there. It took 6 hours to reach the top of Crescent Needle starting from our campground. It's about 2-3 miles of hiking on road to a well marked trail to the right. From your parking lot start at the trail head on the left which will merge into the 4x4 road.
I recommend the direct start; the 2nd pitch is really good (5.7). If you have time do the Needle to Peak traverse which starts with a rappell on the north side.

+1 for Xam's advice to check 14ers and the clarification on where the 4wd road is closed.

Regarding the road, you can no longer drive to where the trails split but stop about 3 miles short of that. However, you need something high clearance to get to even there. I didn't use 4wd except in 1 place (see note a little later) and that wasn't NECESSARY but helped tearing the road up even further. I saw a few subarus up there last time but they must have been very carefully driven. There is one really bad spot on my way up that had been filled before my way down with the largest pointiest rocks I've seen used for fill. Not sure who did that but they for their well intended effort they should have done better. If you can't drive to the curren't trailhead it adds a few more miles of approach and becomes a much bigger day.

Thanks, this is all super helpful. I should manage the road fine, I have an FJ that is pretty happy on that type of terrain.

Stoked!

I was up there last weekend, the only thing i forgot was mosquito repellent. BRING IT!

Sent yesterday. Fantastic climb, and thanks to the above posters for your beta. Super helpful!

Strangely, despite only being on the mountain a week after you, bugs weren't an issue whatsoever...

I did the needle a few years back. the decent initially go's down the ridge and then follows the west gully down the mountain, which is also the standard ascent route. study the directions found on 14ers.com they are excellent and have great pics as well. make sure your actually headed into the west gully when you turn off the ridge, there's a couple other spots that might fool you and its very easy to start down the west side too soon and find yourself off route and down climbing crumbly class five. there are plenty of cairns if you look for them and, depending on the day, there may be a lot of people ascending to show you the way.

that is an awesome mountain and a beautiful area, have fun!

just realized you had already done it. that'll teach me to read more carefully. hope you had fun!