Sangre de Cristo Mountains#Cimarron Range

{{Short description|Mountain range in Colorado and New Mexico, United States}}

{{About|the greater Sangre de Cristo mountain range|the northernmost extent of the same name|Sangre de Cristo Range}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name= Sangre de Cristo Mountains

| other_name=

| native_name=

| photo=MtBlancaEast.jpg

| photo_size=

| photo_caption=Blanca Peak

| etymology= Sangre de Cristo ({{langx|es|Blood of Christ}})

| country= United States

| subdivision1_type= States

| subdivision1= {{hlist|Colorado|New Mexico}}

| parent= Rocky Mountains

| geology=

| orogeny=

| area_mi2= 17193

| range_coordinates=

| length_mi= 242

| length_orientation= north-south

| width_mi= 120

| width_orientation= east-west

| highest= Blanca Peak

| elevation_ft= 14351

| coordinates= {{coord|37|34|39|N|105|29|08|W|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| highest_location= East of Alamosa, Colorado

| listing = Mountain ranges of Colorado

| map=

| map_size=

| map_caption=

}}

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 several peaks in New Mexico which are over thirteen thousand feet.

The name of the mountains may refer to the occasional reddish hues observed during sunrise and sunset, and when alpenglow occurs, especially when the mountains are covered with snow. Although the particular origin of the name is unclear, it has been in use since 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.{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Julyan|title=The Place Names of New Mexico|publisher=University of New Mexico Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0826316899}} According to legend, "sangre de Cristo" were the last words of a priest who was killed by Native Americans.{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=John Frank|title=Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin|year=1954|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051116740;view=1up;seq=51|publisher=The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co.|location=Denver, CO|page=45}}

Land management and recreation overview

File:Sangre de Christo Mountains-Winter sunset.jpg

File:SangreDeCristo.png

File:Sangre de Cristo Range Oct2020.jpg

File:Santa Fe from space.jpg. Santa Fe Baldy peak at lower right. Valley of the Rio Grande, including the Rio Grande Gorge, west of the mountains.]]

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 managed by the United States Forest Service and are popular for hunting, camping, hiking, mountain biking, 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 and are managed by the National Park Service.

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 may refer to the northernmost subrange, the southernmost subrange, or the mountains as a whole.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

=Sangre de Cristo Range=

The 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.

=Crestones=

The Crestones are a group of four {{convert|14000|ft|-3}}+ peaks (fourteeners) in the Sangre de Cristo Range above Crestone, Colorado.

=Spanish Peaks=

The Spanish Peaks are a pair of mountains, West Spanish Peak, {{cvt|13626|ft|||}}, and East Spanish Peak, {{cvt|12860|ft|||}}, located in southwestern Huerfano County, Colorado.{{cite book |title=Roadside Geology of Colorado |last=Chronic |first=Halka |year=1998 |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing Company |isbn=0-87842-105-X |page=36}} The Spanish Peaks were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976 as one of the best known examples of igneous dikes.{{cite web

|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/pdf/RevisedRegistryJune2009.pdf

|title=National Registry of Natural Landmarks

|date=June 2009

|publisher=National Park Service

}}{{dead link|date=June 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The mountains can be seen from as far as {{cvt|133|mi|||}} to the north from Colorado Springs, {{cvt|65|mi|||}} to the south from Raton, New Mexico, and {{cvt|85|mi|||}} to the east from La Junta, Colorado.

=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 at {{cvt|14047|ft|||}}, which is notable for being the only fourteener in Colorado on private land with an access fee. Climbers wishing to ascend Culebra must pay a fee (currently US$150 per person),{{Cite web|url=https://www.14ers.org/peaks/sangre-de-cristo-range/culebra-peak/|title = Culebra Peak | Colorado Fourteeners Initiative}} and the number of climbers per year is limited.{{cite web|url=http://www.14ers.org/peaks/sdc_culebra.php |title=Colorado Fourteeners Initiative: Peaks: Sangre de Cristo Range: Culebra Peak |access-date=2006-08-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909002749/http://www.14ers.org/peaks/sdc_culebra.php |archive-date=2006-09-09 }} It is also the most southerly fourteener in the U.S. Rockies. Standing to the east of the main crest are the two prominent Spanish Peaks (West: {{cvt|13626|ft|||}}, East: {{cvt|12860|ft|||}}). These peaks were important landmarks for 19th century travelers on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail.

The western slope of the Culebras and the San Luis Valley are located within the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, dating back to the 1840s but still a factor in the pattern of land ownership within the grant. The San Luis Valley is arid. The town of San Luis, Colorado has an annual precipitation of only {{convert|9.6|inch|mm}}.The surrounding area, traversed by Culebra Creek, has a rich agricultural history and has been the scene of land disputes between the descendants of Hispanic settlers and Anglo ranchers since the 1860s.{{cite web |title=Climate San Luis |url=https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/san-luis/colorado/united-states/usco0345 |website=U.S. Climate Data |access-date=1 October 2022}}

=Taos Mountains=

The Taos Mountains span the western lobe of the range from Costilla Creek in the north, to Tres Ritos in the south.{{cite book|last1=Butterfield|first1=Mike|last2=Greene|first2=Peter|title=Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico|publisher=New Mexico Magazine Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-937206-88-1}}{{efn|name="alternate_nomenclature"|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.}} They include the highest point in New Mexico, Wheeler Peak, at {{convert|13161|ft|m}}, which is part of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. Other notable peaks include Pueblo Peak, which at {{convert|12305|ft|m}} rises dramatically above Taos Pueblo, and Latir Peak, at {{convert|12708|ft|m}}. Williams Lake is located below Wheeler Peak in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness.

Taos Ski Valley lies just to the west of Wheeler Peak. Much of the central portion of the Taos Mountains is on Taos Pueblo land. As viewed from Taos, they are locally called "Taos Mountain."

The southern portion of the Taos Mountains, between Palo Flechado Pass and Tres Ritos (U.S. Route 64 and NM Route 518), is lower and less dramatic than the northern section, with its high point being Cerro Vista, {{convert|11939|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. 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 at {{cvt|12441|ft|||}}. 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. 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, {{cvt|13102|ft|||}}, as their highest point. Other notable peaks are Santa Fe Baldy ({{cvt|12622|ft|||}}) and Jicarita Peak ({{cvt|12835|ft|||}}). The Pecos Wilderness is crossed by many trails and is popular for backpacking and for fishing in its high alpine lakes.

Prominent peaks

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Peaks

! Image

! Comment

align=center|1

|Blanca PeakThe 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). [http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/faq.shtml#WhatVD29VD88 National Geodetic Survey]

|Sierra Blanca

|175px

|Blanca Peak in Colorado is the highest peak of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

align=center|2

|Crestone Peak

|Crestones

|175px

| Crestone Peak is rock scrambles (Class 3) with some exposure and significant rockfall danger. (Image: Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle seen from the south)

align=center|3

|Culebra Peak

|Culebra Range

|175px

|(Image: Big Costilla Peak in the Culebra Range, viewed from Valle Vidal.)

align=center|4

|West Spanish Peak

|Spanish Peaks

| 175px

|(Image: West Spanish Peak taken from the south)

align=center|5

|Mount Herard

|Sangre de Cristo Range

| 175px

|(Image: Sangre de Cristo range from the Great Sand Dunes National Park)

align=center|6

|Wheeler Peak{{efn|name=Wheeler_Peak|The summit of Wheeler Peak is the highest point of New Mexico.}}

|Taos Mountains

|175px

|Wheeler Peak, of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness, is the highest peak in New Mexico. 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. As viewed from Taos, they are locally called "Taos Mountain."

align=center|7

|Bushnell Peak

|Sangre de Cristo Range

align=center|8

|Truchas Peak{{cite ngs|FN0666|Truchas Peak|2 January 2023}}

|Santa Fe Mountains

| 175px

|Truchas Peak is the highest point in the Santa Fe Mountains. (Image: Truchas Peak in winter from Española, New Mexico)

align=center|9

|Venado Peak

|Taos Mountains

|175px

|(Image: Taos Mountain at sunset.)

align=center|10

|East Spanish Peak

|Spanish Peaks

| 175px

| East Spanish Peak is the lower of the two Spanish Peaks, two large igneous stocks which form an eastern outlier of the Culebra Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. (Image: Spanish Peaks as seen from I25, Huerfano county, Colorado)

align=center|11

|Santa Fe Baldy{{cite ngs|FN0726|Santa Fe Baldy}}

|Santa Fe Mountains

| 175px

|Santa Fe Baldy is a prominent summit in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, located 15 mi (24 km) northeast of Santa Fe. It is prominent as seen from Los Alamos and communities along the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico, but is relatively inconspicuous from Santa Fe, as its north-south trending main ridge line is seen nearly end-on, disguising the size of the mountain. Santa Fe Baldy lies in the Pecos Wilderness within the Santa Fe National Forest, on the water divide between the Rio Grande and the Pecos River.

align=center|12

|Baldy Mountain{{cite ngs|GM0775|Baldy Mountain}}

|Cimarron Range

|175px

|(Image: Baldy Peak summit ridge in the Cimarron Range.)

align=center|13

|Greenhorn Mountain{{cite ngs|HK0512|Greenhorn Mountain}}

|Wet Mountains

|175px

|Greenhorn Mountain is the highest point in the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado, just high enough to pass tree line which is about {{convert|11500|ft|m}} in this part of Colorado. The massive mountain can be seen from Pueblo and all along Interstate 25. The mountain is protected within the secluded Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness Area but is accessed by a few trails and a nearby 4-wheel drive road to the north.

align=center|14

|Mount Zwischen

|Sangre de Cristo Range

|175px

|(Image:Mount Zwischen, east aspect)

align=center|15

align=center|16

| Mount Phillips, formerly called Clear Creek Mountain, is located in Colfax County about 11 mi (17 km) south of Baldy Mountain in the Cimarron Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. The peak was renamed in 1960 in honor of Waite Phillips, who donated the area to the Boy Scouts of America. (Image: Mount Phillips (tallest mountain, at center) seen from Baldy Mountain)

align=center|17

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{{Panorama|image=File:Sangre de Cristo Range Looking West.jpg|height=180|caption={{center|Panoramic summer view of the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains from Westcliffe, Colorado}}}}

Geology

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains were uplifted during the Cenozoic Laramide orogeny. They are bounded on the west by the Rio Grande rift and on the east by a series of reverse and thrust faults. Vertical displacement along the faults is at least {{convert|4200|m|feet}}, and gravity measurements suggest the uplift has been thrust eastward great distances. This faulting places Precambrian basement rock in contact with sedimentary strata along the eastern margin of the uplift except where igneous rocks have been intruded along the fault.{{cite journal |last1=Woodward |first1=Lee A. |title=Tectonic framework of northeastern New Mexico and adjacent parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas |journal=New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Series |date=1987 |volume=38 |page=80 |url=https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/38/38_p0067_p0071.pdf |access-date=19 May 2020}}

Notes

References

External links

[http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=1468 Sangre de Cristo Mountains @ Peakbagger]
[http://pikespeakphoto.com/sangres/sangres_table.html List of the 13-ers in Sangre de Cristo]
[https://archive.today/20121214024141/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/67hornbek/67hornbek.htm NPS—TwHP: “Glorieta and Raton Passes: Gateways to the Southwest”] — a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan.

{{Portalbar|Geography|North America||United States|Colorado|Mountains|Volcanoes}}

Category:Mountain ranges of Colorado

Category:Mountain ranges of New Mexico

Category:Ranges of the Rocky Mountains

Category:Regions of New Mexico

Category:Landforms of Alamosa County, Colorado

Category:Landforms of Costilla County, Colorado

Category:Landforms of Huerfano County, Colorado

Category:Landforms of Saguache County, Colorado

Category:Landforms of Custer County, Colorado

Category:Landforms of Taos County, New Mexico

Category:Landforms of Las Animas County, Colorado