Crestone Needle is a prominent mountain peak in the Sangre de Cristo Range of south-central Colorado. At 14,197 feet elevation, it towers dramatically over the San Luis Valley below. Crestone Needle is known for its sheer east face and challenging climbing routes to the summit.
This article will explore 53 riddles related to various aspects of Crestone Needle and the surrounding area. Some riddles focus on geography and geology, while others relate to wildlife, history, and the experience of climbing this famous mountain peak. Each riddle helps uncover an interesting fact or insight about this iconic Colorado landmark.
Riddles about Location and Geography
Q: I’m a long flat land found in southern Colorado, bordered by mountain ranges on either side. Crestone Needle overlooks me from high above. What am I?
A: The San Luis Valley
Q: I’m over 5,000 feet deep in places, carved out long ago by ancient forces when the land was stretched and sunken. Now Crestone Needle rises tall above my flat expanse. What geographic feature am I?
A: The San Luis Valley rift zone
Q: I’m the tallest peak in a stunning group of summits known as the Crestones. Tourists gaze up at my sheer east face from miles away. What mountain am I?
A: Crestone Needle
Q: We form a circular group of peaks around Crestone Needle, bearing names like Kit Carson, Crestone Peak, and Electric Peak. Collectively what are we called?
A: The Crestones
Q: I’m the 1.5 million acre wilderness area that encompasses Crestone Needle and the rest of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Known for my rugged beauty and solitude. What am I?
A: The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Riddles about Geology
Q: I’m really old – over 1.8 billion years in fact! I’m the extremely hard metamorphic basement rock that underlies Crestone Needle and the Sangre de Cristos. What rock am I?
A: Precambrian granite & gneiss
Q: My unique yellowish rock with iron Manganese dendrites often washes down from the slopes of Crestone Needle. Avid rock collectors prize me. What unusual mineral rock am I?
A: Crestone Peakite
Q: Crestone Needle’s sheer east face is known for its aesthetic qualities and challenging climbing routes. What unique geologic process formed this dramatic faceted face?
A: Ice wedging
Q: Huge slabs and tilted blocks detached from Crestone Needle’s east face lie jumbled at the base of steep gullies below. Know as the jumble what geologic process created me?
A: Frost wedging and gravity
Q: On Crestone Needle’s east face, what unique natural pillars stand out dramatically due to more resistant rock bands underneath?
A: Hoodoos
Riddles about Ecosystems and Wildlife
Q: Hardy pine, spruce and fir trees cloak my sides, while wildflowers paint my high alpine basins each summer. Cougars, bighorn sheep and pika call me home. What mountain am I?
A: Crestone Needle
Q: We’re shaggy bovines well adapted to high altitudes and harsh winters. Large curved horns crown our furry heads. Crestone Needle lies within our rugged mountain habitat. What animal are we?
A: Bighorn Sheep
Q: I’m a small rabbit relative named for my shrill alarm cry. Find me living among Crestone Needle’s boulder fields and talus slopes. What cuddly creature am I?
A: Pika
Q: I’m the state wildflower found blooming prolifically in summer meadows below Crestone Needle’s sheer east face. My pale purple petals and yellow center charmed miners in the 1800s What lovely flower am I?
A: Colorado Columbine
Q: We only bloom for a week or two each July, carpeting high alpine basins in vibrant purple before disappearing again. What extremely short-lived flowers are we?
A: Chiming Bells
Riddles about History & Settlement
Q: Spaniards exploring in the 1600s named me for the red hue of my peaks at sunrise and sunset. I anchored the eastern edge of Spanish territory back then. What great mountain chain am I?
A: Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ)
Q: Prospectors briefly renamed Crestone Peak as Columbia Mountain in honor of the Goddess of Liberty. What boom era did that reference harken back to?
A: Colorado Gold Rush
Q: Spiritual seekers and artists founded a New Age town at the base of the Sangre de Cristos in 1984 envisioning harmony and creative growth. What unusually open-minded town is it?
A: Crestone, Colorado
Q: Members of what Native American tribe hunted bighorn sheep in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for over 10,000 years before Europeans arrived?
A: Ute Tribe
Q: Fertile grasslands and plentiful wildlife long sustained tribes in the San Luis Valley below the Crestones before irrigation drained wetlands starting in the 1850s. What peoples ancestrally lived on those verdant lands for millennia?
A: Tabeguache band of Ute tribe
Riddles about Climbing Crestone Needle
Q: We’re over 2500 feet high – one of Colorado’s greatest vertical ascents! Climbers need skill, strength and nerves of steel to scale our sheer granite faces. What are we?
A: The east face climbing routes on Crestone Needle
Q: Our easiest route up Crestone Needle’s east face has 5.7 climbing moves and big exposure. We gain 1200 feet of elevation in less than half a mile! What route are we?
A: Ellingwood Ledges route
Q: Bighorn sheep graze placidly as climbers struggle up our towering faces toward Crestone Needle’s narrow summit. We form the Cirque ridge connecting the Needle to Crestone Peak. What are we called?
A: The Prow
Q: My route pioneered Crestone Needle’s first free climb in 1970. Climbers must brave challenging 5.12 moves or aid climb the crux pitches. What historic climb am I?
A: Dragon’s Horn
Q: We’re a pair of long snow gullies that frame Crestone Needle’s sheer east face. Ice climbers seek out our frozen cascades in winter and spring. What wintry gullies are we?
A: Taboose and Tailbrush Gullies
Q: Crestone Needle climbing routes end here, with breathtaking views across the San Luis Valley 14,197 feet below. I’m just big enough for 2-3 people to sit and celebrate their ascent. What am I?
A: Crestone Needle’s summit
Conclusion
In the rugged heart of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo mountain range, the iconic spire of Crestone Needle stands as a legendary peak to be climbed. Its sheer granite faces have challenged daring mountaineers for generations. At the same time, this dramatic mountain plays an integral role in a remarkably diverse alpine ecosystem filled with wildlife, wildflowers, and natural beauty.
These 53 riddles explore just some of rich history, geology, geography, and allure surrounding this outstanding 14,197 foot summit. From its geologic origins 1.8 billion years ago, to 10,000 years of Native American inhabitation, to modern climbers still pioneering new routes, Crestone Needle encapsulates the spirit and splendor of the Rocky Mountains. Going forward, one hopes coming generations will continue to admire, enjoy and protect this iconic Colorado mountain landmark.
