Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle were the last two fourteeners in Colorado to be climbed. The South Couloir route is the easiest route to climb, but reaching it requires a steep hike over Broken Hand Pass from South Colony Lakes or the difficult Cottonwood Creek approach from the west. The North Couloir is easier to approach but a much steeper and looser climb. The traverse between Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle is considered one of the four great fourteener ridge traverses in Colorado.