SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS

:''This article is about the entire Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. For the northern-most portion with the same name, see Sangre de Cristo Range''.
The 'Sangre de Cristo Mountains' (Spanish for "blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in the United States. The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South-Central Colorado, trending southeast and south, ending at a point southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The mountains contain a number of fourteen thousand foot peaks in the Colorado portion, as well as all of 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.

Contents

Notable peaks

Land management and recreation overview

Subranges

Sangre de Cristo Range

Culebra Range

Taos Mountains

Cimarron Range

Rincon Mountains

Santa Fe Mountains

In culture

See also

References

External links

Notable peaks

The 14 Highest Peaks of the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains This table includes only mountain peaks with a minimum of of topographic prominence.

Rank	Mountain Peak	Elevation
1	Blanca Peak	14,345 feet = 4372.4 m
2	Crestone Peak	14,294 feet = 4356.8 m
3	Crestone Needle	14,197 feet = 4327.2 m
4	Kit Carson Peak	14,165 feet = 4317.5 m
5	Challenger Point[2]	14,080 feet = 4291.6 m
6	Humboldt Peak	14,064 feet = 4286.7 m
7	Culebra Peak	14,047 feet = 4281.5 m
8	Ellingwood Point	14,042 feet = 4280.0 m
9	Mount Lindsey	14,042 feet = 4280.0 m
10	Little Bear Peak	14,037 feet = 4278.5 m
11	Columbia Point[3]	13,980 feet = 4261.1 m
12	Mount Adams PB	13,931 feet = 4246.2 m
13	Red Mountain PB	13,908 feet = 4239.2 m
14	California Peak PB	13,849 feet = 4221.2 m

The 10 Most Topographically Prominent Peaks of the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Rank	Mountain Peak	Prominence	Elevation	Subrange
1	Blanca Peak	5,326 feet = 1,623 m	14,345 feet = 4372.4 m	Sangre de Cristo Range
2	Culebra Peak	4,827 feet = 1,471 m	14,047 feet = 4281.5 m	Culebra Range
3	Crestone Peak	4,554 feet = 1,388 m	14,294 feet = 4356.8 m	Sangre de Cristo Range
4	Truchas Peak	4,001 feet = 1,220 m	13,102 feet = 3993.5 m	Santa Fe Mountains
5	West Spanish Peak	3,685 feet = 1,123 m	13,626 feet = 4153.2 m	Culebra Range
6	Wheeler Peak	3,409 feet = 1,039 m	13,161 feet = 4011.5 m	Taos Mountains
7	Venado Peak	2,971 feet = 906 m	12,734 feet = 3881.2 m	Taos Mountains
8	Mount Phillips	2,901 feet = 884 m	11,721 feet = 3572.6 m	Cimarron Range
9	Baldy Mountain	2,701 feet = 823 m	12,441 feet = 3792.0 m	Cimarron Range
10	Cerro Vista	2,519 feet = 768 m	11,939 feet = 3639.0 m	Southern Taos Mountains

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. 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

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.

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, . 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.

In culture

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are referenced in the Paul Simon song, Hearts and Bones.

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

★ Wet Mountains

References

1. Robert Julyan, ''The Place Names of New Mexico'', University of New Mexico Press, 1998.
2. Challenger Point has a prominence of between and .
3. Columbia Point has a prominence of between and .
4. http://www.14ers.org/peaks/sdc_culebra.php
5. 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
6. 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.
7. 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

External links

★ Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger

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★ Southern Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger

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★ Sangre de Cristo Mountains @ Peakbagger