Route Description

Take Colorado 69 south from Westcliffe. Drive 4.5 miles and turn right on Colfax Lane. Drive 5.5 miles to the end of Colfax. There is a sign to the trailhead here. Turn right and drive 1 mile on a dirt road to a junction. Continue straight up the 120 Road for 0.3 mile to the Lower 2WD trailhead. If you park here, it’s approx. 5.3 miles to the end of the road where the trail begins.
Rough 2WD Trailhead: From the lower 2WD trailhead, continue 2.7 miles to a higher parking area at the first river crossing. In 2010, the road is scheduled for closure at this point and this will be the "official" trailhead.
4WD Trailhead (closing after 2009): From the first river crossing, continue another 2.6 miles to the 4WD trailhead at the end of the road. Note: In 2007, all of the nasty rock sections were crushed and "improved" to allow easier 4WD travel to the upper trailhead. There is a small parking area before the road crosses the river and ends at the main parking area. The trail starts past the gate in the main parking area.

Details:

Follow Crestone Needle Route #1 to Broken Hand Pass (12,850'). From Broken Hand Pass, follow the newly constructed trail (2003) down the steep slope toward the basin near Cottonwood Lake. Photo #1 and Photo #2 show the view from the trail near the pass. Photo #3 is a look back at the descent from the pass. Follow the trail down to Cottonwood Lake - Photo #4. Pass the lake on the right and continue west along the stream below the lake. The southwest ridge of Crestone Needle is up to your right (north). When you come to the end/base of this ridge, the view opens up and you can see Crestone Peak up to the right (north). Follow the small trail as it curves right and heads toward Crestone Peak’s South Face.

Photo #5 shows the prominent red gully in the middle of the South Face and Photo #6 is a broader view that shows the general route into the gully. Follow the trail northeast as it climbs into the basin to the right of the base of the gully. You do not have to enter the base of the gully. As seen in Photo #6, Photo #7 and Photo #8, bypass steep rock at the base of the gully by following a small trail to about 12,800'. Turn left and follow small cairns up onto the easy rock just east of the gully. Photo #9 looks back toward Crestone Needle and Photo #10 is the view down on the basin below the South Face. After a short climb west across the rocks, reach the Red Gully - Photo #11. The gully is obvious. Without snow, the rock is stained red from top to bottom. In summer, the lower half will likely have some water running down the center.

Climb directly up the gully by following the red rock - Photo #12. The Class 3 climbing is not too difficult but there are a few steep pitches, especially if you have to climb around snow in the center. Some of the gully is steep "hiking" on smooth rock. Follow the best rock by occasionally switching from one side of the gully to the other. There are steep sections between 13,000' and 13,500' and then again between 13,750' and the notch at the top of the gully. Photo #13 was taken near 13,600’ and Photo #14, Photo #15 plus Photo #16 show the upper portions of the gully and the steep section below the notch.

Reach the top of the gully (the notch) at 14,100' - Photo #17 and Photo #18. From here you can look directly down the NW Couloir route. The east summit is to your right and the true summit is 200' up to your left - Photo #19. Turn left and scramble up on conglomerate-rock ledges - Photo #20, Photo #21 and Photo #22. The summit is a short distance away but it's good to take your time and find the best route up through this semi-exposed area. Depending on your climbing skills, you may find this final pitch to be more difficult than the gully. Taken from Crestone Needle, Photo #23 provides a different look at the area. After the short scramble from the notch, reach The Peak's rugged summit - Photo #24 and Photo #25. For the return, Photo #26 shows the hike back toward Cottonwood Lake and Broken Hand Pass.