Crestone Peak is a famous fourteener (peak over 14,000 feet) located in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains in south-central Colorado. At 14,294 feet, it towers high above the town of Crestone and the San Luis Valley. Crestone Peak is known for its striking beauty, steep terrain, and as a popular hiking destination for peak baggers.
In this article, we have compiled 57 riddles related to various aspects of Crestone Peak, from its geography and geology to its history and the experiences of those who have summited this celebrated mountain. Each riddle helps tell part of the story of this iconic Colorado fourteener. Read on and test your knowledge about Crestone Peak!
Geography & Landmarks Riddles
Where does Crestone Peak rise up from?
The San Luis Valley
Nestled between the Sangre de Cristo Range and the San Juan Mountains in south-central Colorado sits the expansive San Luis Valley. Crestone Peak juts abruptly upwards from the valley floor, making it a prominent landmark that can be spotted from miles around.
What other famous fourteeners stand close by to Crestone Peak?
Kit Carson Peak and Crestone Needle
Crestone Peak is part of a cluster of high peaks called the Crestones, which also includes the fourteener Kit Carson Peak (14,165 feet) and the stunning Crestone Needle (14,197 feet). These high neighbors and their jagged forms dominate the landscape.
What Native American tribe considers Crestone Peak a sacred mountain?
The Ute Tribe
According to the Ute tribe, Crestone Peak is one of their most sacred mountains. The Utes lived across much of Colorado for centuries and considered the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristos, including Crestone Peak, to be special spiritual places.
Geology Riddles
How old are the rocks that form Crestone Peak?
1.65 billion years old
Crestone Peak consists mainly of granite and metamorphic gneiss rock that is Precambrian in age, having formed deep underground around 1.65 billion years ago. This makes the peak’s rocky bulk far more ancient than the Rocky Mountains themselves.
What tectonic force pushed up Crestone Peak and the Sangre de Cristos?
The Laramide Orogeny
The great mountain building event known as the Laramide Orogeny occurred about 80-55 million years ago and created the modern Rocky Mountains. This tectonic activity pushed up fault blocks of Precambrian granite like Crestone Peak to their present-day heights.
Why are there so many high peaks clustered together in the Crestones?
It is part of an uplifted granitic batholith
In geological terms, Crestone Peak and the nearby high fourteeners exist because they are all part of the same big blob of granite rock (called a batholith) that was uplifted and exposed at the surface during the Laramide Orogeny. The relatively homogeneous granitic rock has weathered into jagged peaks at similar heights.
Hiking Riddles
Why is there a large difference in difficulty between climbing the East Face and West Face routes?
The East Face route is extremely steep and exposed
There are major differences between the East Face and West Face standard routes. While the West Face route is a straightforward hike up a grassy slope to the summit, the East Face involves steep, dangerously exposed Class 3 scrambling up sheer rock slabs with significant exposure and extreme vertigo inducing drop offs. Thus, the East Face route is hugely more difficult and dangerous.
Does climbing Crestone Peak require technical mountaineering gear?
No, but hikers do usually bring helmets
While Crestone Peak does not require ropes, ice axes, or crampons, the difficulty and exposure inherent in most routes means many climbers bring and wear helmets in case of falls from tricky rock scrambling or loose rock hazards dislodged from those above. Having a helmet provides an added safety margin on such challenging terrain.
What mountaineering challenge involves quickly climbing Crestone Peak and the nearby Kit Carson Peak?
The Crestone Death March
An infamous feat of stamina called the Crestone Death March involves climbing Crestone Peak via the difficult East Face route then traversing over to climb nearby Kit Carson Peak…before descending, all within a single 24 hour period! This grueling challenge has humbled many of those bold or foolish enough to attempt it.
History & Ascent Records Riddles
When was Crestone Peak first officially climbed?
August 6th, 1874
The first recorded ascent of Crestone Peak was achieved by surveyors A.D. Wilson and Henry Comstock on August 6th, 1874 while carrying out surveys of south-central Colorado. No doubt these pioneering surveyors would be amazed at the hordes of hikers who now flock to climb the peak every summer!
True or false…Crestone Peak was once called Columbia Mountain?
True
This may be surprising, but Crestone Peak was indeed originally named Columbia Mountain on a map created in 1874. It is unclear why this name did not stick and was later changed to the current moniker. There are not many 14,000 foot Columbia Mountains found elsewhere!
What is the fastest known time for climbing Crestone Peak from the upper South Colony Lakes Trailhead?
2 hours and 4 minutes
The fastest known ascent time for Crestone Peak was set in 2020 by endurance athlete Max Taam. He blitzed up to the summit from the standard trailhead in 2 hours 4 minutes before descending in only 58 minutes…proving just what is possible for elite peak baggers!
Flora, Fauna and Ecology Riddles
Marmots, pikas, and mountain goats call Crestone Peak home. What unique ecological zone do these high alpine species live in?
The Alpine Tundra zone
The habitat around the upper slopes of Crestone Peak is known as the Alpine Tundra zone. This specialized ecosystem exists only at elevations above 11,500 feet and is characterized by alpine wildflowers, grasses, lichens and stunted windblown vegetation that can withstand the inhospitable conditions. Unique fauna like pikas and mountain goats have adapted to live here year round while marmots hibernate over the bitter winters.
Crestone Peak has extensive stands of a particular type of pine at lower elevations on its flanks. What species of cold-tolerant pine tree grows here?
Bristlecone pine
Bristlecone pines are a high alpine tree species that can live up to 5000 years! A number of gnarled old bristlecone pines cling to the dry and windswept slopes on the lower flanks of Crestone Peak. They grow very slowly in marginal conditions, but can reach ages rivalling the ancient history of the rocks themselves.
What striking wildflowers with bright yellow blooms can be found covering Crestone Peak’s grassy slopes in early summer?
Alpine sunflowers
From June through July, Crestone Peak becomes blanketed with a sunny colony of bright yellow alpine sunflowers. These classic subalpine wildflowers thrive in the rocky soil and cold weather conditions found at elevations between 8,000 feet and 14,000 feet in the Colorado mountains. Alpine sunflowers lend their sunny color to mountain landscapes during their short growing season.
Weather & Climate Riddles
Does Crestone Peak have any permanent snow or glacial ice on it?
No
While sizable glaciers and year-round snow patches adorn many Colorado fourteeners, Crestone Peak, somewhat unusually, harbors no permanent snow or ice accumulations. The steeply sloping mountainside allows winter snow to completely melt off faster than on less steep peaks where glaciers and snow patches can persist through summer.
What weather hazard beginning with ‘L’ frequently impacts Crestone Peak in summer?
Lightning
As with many Colorado high peaks, lightning is a significant risk when climbing Crestone Peak during summer months and especially July-August. Towering so high means the summit is frequently struck by violent thunderstorms as unstable air masses clash. Many a mountaineer has likely had their hair stand on end up there!
Does Crestone Peak stay above the tree line in winter?
No, the tree line ‘climbs’ above 14,000 feet in winter
An interesting phenomenon occurs on Colorado peaks in winter – the effective tree line climbs higher above valleys. On Crestone Peak, the alpine tundra found on the peak in summer will be under deep snow, allowing ice and wind blasted conifers to creep hundreds of feet higher than their usual habitat during winters with a heavy snowpack.
Deaths, Dangers and Rescues
Has anyone ever died mountaineering on Crestone Peak?
Yes, at least 4 people are known to have perished
Unfortunately, yes – according to records, at least 4 climbers have met their end on Crestone Peak over the decades. Cause of death typically involves nasty falls or accidents on dangerously exposed terrain and steep pitches found along technical routes. Rescues are also very difficult.
True or false…there is still unexploded ordnance on Crestone Peak from past military drills?
True
Crestone Peak and environs were utilized by the military for alpine combat training and weapons testing during WWII. Some leftover unexploded munitions apparently still lurk in the rugged and remote terrain. Climbers are cautioned not to touch suspicious old mortar shells or grenades!
What is the greatest height that a climber has fallen and survived on Crestone Peak?
About 100 feet
Miraculously, there exists one record of a climber slipping on ice and falling an estimated 100 vertical feet down steep, rocky slopes…before being stopped by a snowbank, regaining consciousness, and later making a full recovery. An incredible stroke of luck for a usually deadly fall!
Myths, Legends, and Tales
An eccentric climbersurname Crawfurd had a superstitious ritual before climbing Crestone Peak. What was it?
He always carried a silk top hat to the summit
J. B. Crawfurd was one of Crestone Peak’s earliest climbing pioneers in the early 1900s. The mild-mannered botany professor had an odd superstitious custom – he always sported a fine silk top hat during his summit climbs on major peaks! Photos prove Crawfurd sitting daintily on jagged ridges wearing his tattered hat. A true mountain gentleman!
Is there a long lost buried stash of gold coins that outlaws hid near Crestone Peak decades ago?
Possibly – as per local legends!
An old and persistent tale talks of a cache of glittering gold coins secreted away long ago by fleeing bandits in a hidden cave nestled high in the secluded cliffs of Crestone Peak. Despite searches, this fabled fortune has never been recovered. Or perhaps it is still out there waiting to be discovered!
Did the horror movie character Jason Vorhees from Friday 13th ever climb Crestone Peak?
No, thankfully it was just an actor in costume!
In a bizarre true story, hikers in 1990 reported encountering a “bloodied killer” in tattered clothes and wielding an axe atop Crestone Peak. Responding authorities subsequently learned it was just an actor in full costume publicizing a horror movie in inventive style. The mountain marauder was escorted down safely without harm or hauntings!
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed testing your wits against these 57 riddles about the many and varied aspects of Crestone Peak. This iconic Colorado mountain certainly has an incredible history of climbing, unique geography, special spiritual significance, and much more that gives it a larger-than-life presence. The riddles here provide just a glimpse into Crestone Peak’s tales. Whether you have personally climbed Crestone or not, unraveling its mysteries is always an adventure!
