Sangre de Cristo Mountains

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are a north-south mountain range that spans southern Colorado and northern New Mexico and forms a conspicuous segment of the southern Rocky Mountains. The range contains many high summits, including multiple Colorado “fourteeners” and New Mexico high points.

Alpine hiking, mountaineering and backcountry routes dominate the higher parts of the range, with accessible summit trails on peaks such as Blanca Peak and Wheeler Peak. Several ski areas and mountain towns lie along or near the range, providing lift-accessed winter recreation and summer trailheads.

The range was uplifted and shaped by crustal faulting and regional tectonic processes associated with the Rocky Mountains; its name, Spanish for “blood of Christ,” dates to early Spanish exploration of the region. Human use has ranged from Native American travel and seasonal use to mining, ranching and modern outdoor recreation.

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains extend from central Colorado southward into northern New Mexico, forming a distinct spine of high peaks and ridges that rise abruptly from adjacent valleys and plains.

• High peaks and alpine terrain: Contains multiple peaks above 14,000 feet in Colorado and several important high summits in northern New Mexico, making it a major subrange of the southern Rocky Mountains.

What to See #

• Blanca Peak: Blanca Peak rises to 14,351 feet (4,374 meters) and is one of several 'fourteener' summits in the northern part of the range, prominent on the Colorado-New Mexico border.
• Wheeler Peak: Wheeler Peak is the highest point in New Mexico at 13,161 feet (4,011 meters) and is located in the southern portion of the range, offering high-elevation trails and alpine terrain.