Crestone
Peak
Routed from OpenStreetMap · elevations USGS 3DEP
Crestone Peak takes its name from the Spanish crestón, meaning crest or cockscomb; early settlers had called the whole cluster the Trois Tetons, after Wyoming's more famous range. Albert Ellingwood and Eleanor Davis reached the summit on July 24, 1916, joined by Joseph Deutschbein and Frances Rogers, within a day of the same party's first ascent of neighboring Crestone Needle. Between them, the two climbs closed out the list of Colorado's unclimbed fourteeners.
In October 2025, mountaineer and engineer Eric Gilbertson used differential GPS to remeasure Crestone Peak against its neighbor East Crestone, long assumed to be a lower sub-peak; his readings put East Crestone about four inches taller, which would flip which of the two counts as the official fourteener. As of mid-2026, the U.S. Geological Survey has not adopted the new figures, so Crestone Peak keeps its official elevation and rank pending peer review. Most climbers reach the summit via South Colony Lakes and the loose Class 3 Red Gully.
Easy 2WD dirt to the lower TH at 8,800'; then 2.7 mi of rough, rutted high-clearance 4WD to the upper TH gate at 9,950' (2025–26 reports: bumpy, pick lines carefully). Route stats below start at the upper TH; the lower TH adds ~5.5–6 mi and ~1,150'.
No fee or permit — San Isabel National Forest. The road was permanently gated at the current upper TH in 2009; winter closure is at the bottom near the lower TH (typically Dec–spring). 4WD road conditions are the main variable. Source: 14ers.com South Colony Lakes trailhead page, with 2025–2026 condition reports, checked July 2026.
A resurvey found the true high point may lie about 400 feet east of the recognized summit — the sub-point known as East Crestone — and stand roughly a third of a foot higher, which would make that point the ranked summit. The revised figure has not been officially adopted, so the elevation and rank shown here remain the current recognized values.
Peak data: Crestone Peak — Wikipedia