Crestone Needle
About
Crestone Needle is a summit in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, part of the San Carlos Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado. The Forest Service manages the land, and the nearest town is Crestone, about 7 miles away. The Crestones climbing area and Broken Hand Pass both sit about half a mile from the summit, with the South Colony and Cottonwood Creek Trail hikes roughly a mile away. North Crestone Creek Campground is about 7 miles out.
Summit Facts
Summit elevation
14,183 ft
Land manager
Forest Service
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Crestone Needle
Colorado
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
Where it is
- Sangre de Cristo Wilderness · Wilderness
- San Carlos Ranger District · Ranger district
- Pike and San Isabel National Forests · National forest
- Nearest town
- Crestone, Colorado · 6.8 mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for San Carlos Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Aspen Acres Fire Area Closure Sept. 1, 2026 - Dec. 31, 2026.
critical · posted Aug 31, 2026
East Bear Gulch Trail Seasonal Closure Order
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness and Spanish Peaks Wilderness Occupancy and Use Restrictions
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
East Bear Gulch NFST 1333 seasonal closure
critical · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Crestones, TheRock climbing0.5 mi
- Broken Hand PassHiking0.5 mi
- South ColonyHiking1.1 mi
- Cottonwood Creek TrailHiking1.1 mi
- Burnt Gulch Trail 4WD Parking & CampCamping5.9 mi
- Burnt Gulch Trail CampCamping5.9 mi
- CrestoneRock climbing7 mi
- North Crestone Creek CampgroundCamping7.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
