The Fourteeners

by Cindy Howard

Long before the highway begins, in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness adventure awaits in one of Colorado's finest collectons of fourteeners: The Crestone Group.

Colorado boasts the greatest number of peaks in North America exceeding 14,000 ft. The traditional list of Colorado fourteeners has varried from 52 to 55 depending upon the criteria used to define them, with 54 fourteeners being the generally accepted number of summits exceeding 14,000 ft. in the state. The Sangre de Cristo range is a long linear range running south of Salida for some 220 miles to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is longer than any other Colorado Range. The Northern range is flanked on the east by the Wet Mountain Valley and by Huerfano Park. The San Luis Valley lies to the west of the range.

The Sangre de Cristo's contain ten named fourteeners in Colorado and all of the thirteeners in New Mexico. The fourteeners are clustered into three groups, the Crestone group, The Blanca group and the solitary Culebra Peak.

The Crestone group are the five fourteeners in the northern most Sangre de Cristo Range:

The only trailhead in the Crestone Group giving reasonable access to all five peaks is the South Colony Trailhead at 8,780 feet. From Westcliffe, travel south on Colorado 69 4.4 miles to Colfax Lane and go south 5.6 miles to a T-junction. Turn west and travel 1.5 miles to a parking area on the north side. There is four wheel drive access for an additional 5.2 miles, to 11,060 feet, but it is one of Colorado's roughest roads and many climbers now backpack in or drive only part way up the South Colony Lakes road.

The Crestone Group features something for every climber, from a walk-up on Humbolt Peak to some downright serious technical climbs. After Longs Peak, the Crestone Group has the best concentration of technical climbing in the Colorado fourteeners and the geology is generally solid conglomerate rock. In recent years the unofficial sport of "peak bagging" has taken hold. The goal for climbers is to reach the summit of all 54 Colorado fourteeners on foot. The rugged Crestones offer a much greater degree of difficulty, both in access and in ascent, so many "peak-baggers" save these peaks for later.

Like all mountaineering, dangerous conditions can exist due to rapidly changing weather conditions, lightning and loose rock to name a few. Websites like 14ers.com and Summitpost.org can be excellent references for current climbing and access conditions, recent trip reports, organizing climbing connections, routes, safety and weather information, as well as wonderful photo galleries. Whether you appreciate their vistas from a distance or push yourself to their summits, the Crestone's offer something for everyone.