Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South-Central Colorado, trending southeast and south, ending at Glorieta Pass, southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The mountains contain a number of fourteen thousand foot peaks in the Colorado portion, as well as all the peaks in New Mexico which are over thirteen thousand feet.
The name, Spanish for "blood of Christ", is said to come from the red color of the range at some sunrises and sunsets, especially when the mountains are covered with snow, alpenglow. However the particular origin of the name is unclear, and the name in fact only dates back to the early 19th century. Before that time the terms "La Sierra Nevada", "La Sierra Madre", "La Sierra", and "The Snowies" (used by English speakers) were used.[1] Sometimes the archaic Spanish spelling "Christo" is used.
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Prominent peaks
| Rank | Mountain Peak | Subrange | Elevation | Prominence | Isolation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blanca Peak[2] | Sierra Blanca | 4374 m 14,351 feet | 1623 m 5,326 feet | 166 km 103 miles |
| 2 | Crestone Peak[2] | Crestones | 4359 m 14,300 feet | 1388 m 4,554 feet | 44 km 27 miles |
| 3 | Culebra Peak[2] | Culebra Range | 4283 m 14,053 feet | 1471 m 4,827 feet | 57 km 35 miles |
| 4 | West Spanish Peak[2] | Spanish Peaks | 4155 m 13,631 feet | 1123 m 3,685 feet | 33 km 20 miles |
| 5 | Mount Herard[2] PB | Sangre de Cristo Range | 4062 m 13,325 feet | 622 m 2,040 feet | 7.5 km 4.6 miles |
| 6 | Wheeler Peak[3] NGS | Taos Mountains | 4013 m 13,167 feet | 1039 m 3,409 feet | 60 km 37 miles |
| 7 | Bushnell Peak[2] PB | Sangre de Cristo Range | 3996 m 13,111 feet | 733 m 2,405 feet | 18 km 11 miles |
| 8 | Truchas Peak NGS | Santa Fe Mountains PB | 3995 m 13,107 feet | 1220 m 4,001 feet | 68 km 42 miles |
| 9 | Venado Peak[2] | Taos Mountains | 3883 m 12,739 feet | 900 m 2,954 feet | 19 km 12 miles |
| 10 | East Spanish Peak[2] | Spanish Peaks | 3867 m 12,688 feet | 726 m 2,383 feet | 6.8 km 4.2 miles |
| 11 | Santa Fe Baldy NGS | Santa Fe Mountains PB | 3850 m 12,632 feet | 610 m 2,002 feet | 18 km 11 miles |
| 12 | Baldy Mountain NGS | Cimarron Range | 3793 m 12,445 feet | 823 m 2,701 feet | 18 km 11 miles |
| 13 | Greenhorn Mountain NGS | Wet Mountains | 3765 m 12,352 feet | 1151 m 3,777 feet | 43 km 26 miles |
| 14 | Mount Zwischen[2] PB | Sangre de Cristo Range | 3661 m 12,011 feet | 691 m 2,266 feet | 7.3 km 4.5 miles |
| 15 | Cerro Vista[2] PB | Cerro Vista PB | 3640 m 11,944 feet | 768 m 2,519 feet | 23 km 14 miles |
| 16 | Clear Creek Mtn.[2] PB | Cimarron Range | 3580 m 11,745 feet | 890 m 2,921 feet | 12 km 8 miles |
| 17 | Mount Mestas[2] PB | Sierra Blanca | 3528 m 11,574 feet | 679 m 2,229 feet | 26 km 16 miles |
| 18 | Iron Mountain[2] PB | Sierra Blanca | 3480 m 11,416 feet | 595 m 1,951 feet | 11 km 7 miles |
Land management and recreation overview
Much of the mountains are within various National Forests: the Rio Grande and San Isabel in Colorado, and the Carson and Santa Fe in New Mexico. These publicly accessible areas are popular for camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and cross-country and downhill skiing.
The mountains include two large wilderness areas, the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in Colorado and the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico, as well as some smaller wilderness areas, such as Latir Peak Wilderness. The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve lies on the southwest side of the mountains in Colorado.
Subranges
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are divided into various subranges, described here from north to south. Use of the terms "Sangre de Cristo Range" and "Sangre de Cristo Mountains" is inconsistent and either may refer to either the northernmost subrange, the southernmost subrange, or the mountains as a whole.
Sangre de Cristo Range
Main article: Sangre de Cristo RangeThe Sangre de Cristo Range, the largest and most northerly subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, runs directly along the east side of the Rio Grande Rift, extending southeast from Poncha Pass for about 75 miles (120 km) through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Walsenburg. They form a high ridge separating the San Luis Valley on the west from the watershed of the Arkansas River on the east.
Culebra Range
The Culebra Range runs almost due north and south, with its northern limit at La Veta Pass in Colorado, and its southern limit at Costilla Creek, just south of Big Costilla Peak in New Mexico. Its highest point is Culebra Peak (14,047 feet/4,282 m), which is notable for being the only fourteener in Colorado which is on private land. Climbers wishing to ascend Culebra must pay a fee (currently US$100 per person), and the number of climbers per year is limited.[4] Standing to the east of the main crest are the two prominent Spanish Peaks (West: 13,626 feet/4,153 m; East: 12,860 feet/3,920 m). Unlike the rest of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, these are volcanic, with conical shapes and prominent dikes radiating outward. These peaks were important landmarks on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail.
Taos Mountains
The Taos Mountains span the western lobe of the range from Costilla Creek in the north, to Tres Ritos in the south.[5][6] They include the highest point in New Mexico, Wheeler Peak (13,161 feet/4,012 m), which is part of the small Wheeler Peak Wilderness. Other notable peaks include Pueblo Peak (12,305 feet/3,751 m), which rises dramatically above Taos Pueblo, and Latir Peak (12,708 feet/3,873 m). Taos Ski Valley lies just to the west of Wheeler Peak. Much of the central portion of the Taos Mountains are on Taos Pueblo land.
The southern portion of the Taos Mountains, between Palo Flechado Pass and Tres Ritos (US Route 64 and NM Route 518), is lower and less dramatic than the northern section, with its high point being Cerro Vista, 11,939 ft (3,639 m). The Fernando Mountains are a small subrange lying in this section, just south of US Route 64.
Cimarron Range
The Cimarron Range lies across the Moreno Valley to the east of the Taos Mountains. It is a lower range, with its highest point being Baldy Mountain (12,441 feet/3,792 m). The Philmont Scout Ranch lies on the east side of the Cimarron Range.
Rincon Mountains
This is a minor subrange, significantly lower than the rest of the Sangre de Cristos; it lies east of the southernmost portion of the Taos Mountains.
Santa Fe Mountains
Rounding out the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the Santa Fe Mountains, which include all peaks south of NM Route 518.[5] This group lies near Santa Fe and surrounds the Pecos Wilderness, which protects the source watershed of the Pecos River. The peaks include Truchas Peak (13,102 feet/3,994 m) as their highest point. Other notable peaks are Santa Fe Baldy (12,622 feet/3,847 m) and Jicarita Peak (12,835 feet/3,912 m). The Pecos Wilderness is crossed by many trails and is popular for backpacking and for fishing in its high alpine lakes.
See also
- Culebra Range
- Geography of Colorado
- Mountain peaks of Colorado
- Mountain ranges of Colorado
- Rocky Mountains
- Spanish Peaks
- State of Colorado
- State of New Mexico
- Glorieta Pass
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park
- Wet Mountains
References
- ^ Robert Julyan, The Place Names of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press, 1998.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). National Geodetic Survey
- ^ The summit of Wheeler Peak is the highest point of the State of New Mexico.
- ^ http://www.14ers.org/peaks/sdc_culebra.php
- ^ a b Butterfield, Mike, and Greene, Peter, Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico, New Mexico Magazine Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-937206-88-1
- ^ Some sources only include the region north of Palo Flechado Pass in the Taos Mountains; however they do not give a specific subrange name to the entire southern portion. See for example the 1:250,000 scale USGS maps.
External links
- Sangre de Cristo Mountains @ Peakbagger
- List of the 13-ers in Sangre de Cristo
- “Glorieta and Raton Passes: Gateways to the Southwest”, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
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Categories: Geography of Colorado | Geography of New Mexico | Mountain ranges of Colorado | Mountain ranges of New Mexico | Regions of New Mexico | Ranges of the Rocky Mountains
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