With peaks rising to over fourteen thousand feet, including the famous Crestone Needle, the Sangre de Cristos were declared a Wilderness Area in 1993.  The range offers spectacular hiking and climbing opportunities in summer, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter, and a beautiful vista year round! 

At the base of the Valley the neighboring towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff offer numerous eating establishments, small boutiques, antique shops, a performing arts center, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and, most recently, an indoor swimming pool.