The town of Crestone, Colorado, population 800, occupies a small swath of land on the eastern side of the remote San Luis Valley. At elevations of 8,000 feet, the valley extends 122 miles nort–south and 74 miles east–west between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountain ranges. It is among the highest and largest deserts in North America, where little more than sage, rabbitbrush, and greasewood can survive the harsh alpine conditions.

Crestone hugs the base of the Sangre de Cristos, shadowed by the 14,000-foot-high summits of Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle.