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| Sangre de Cristo Range | |
|---|---|
| Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains | |
 Sangre de Cristo Range seen fromHardscrabble Pass. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Blanca Peak |
| Elevation | 14,345 ft (4,372 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°34′38″N105°29′7″W / 37.57722°N 105.48528°W /37.57722; -105.48528 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 75 mi (121 km) north-south |
| Width | 48 mi (77 km) east-west |
| Area | 1,250 sq mi (3,200 km2) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Sangre de CristoSpanish:Blood of Christ |
| Geography | |
  Sangre de Cristo Range | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| Counties | |
| Parent range | Sangre de Cristo Mountains,Rocky Mountains |
| Borders on |
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| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Fault-block mountains |
| Rock ages | |
TheSangre de Cristo Range is amountain range in theRocky Mountains in southernColorado in theUnited States, running north and south along the east side of theRio Grande Rift. The mountains extend southeast fromPoncha Pass for about 75 mi (121 km) through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass, approximately 20 mi (32 km) west ofWalsenburg, and form a high ridge separating theSan Luis Valley on the west from the watershed of theArkansas River on the east. The Sangre de Cristo Range rises over 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above the valleys and plains to the west and northeast.
According to theUSGS, the range is the northern part of the largerSangre de Cristo Mountains, which extend through northernNew Mexico. Usage of the terms "Sangre de Cristo Range" and "Sangre de Cristo Mountains" is varied; however, this article discusses only the mountains between Poncha Pass and La Veta Pass.
A14er is a mountain peak that has an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. Colorado has 53, the most of any state. There are 10 14ers in the Sangre de Cristo Range,[1] which can be seen in the table below.
| Peak name | Elevation | Prominence |
|---|---|---|
| Blanca Peak[2] | 14,351 ft (4,374 m) | 5,3265,326 ft (1,623 m) |
| Crestone Peak[3] | 14,300 ft (4,400 m) | 4,5344,534 ft (1,382 m) |
| Crestone Needle[4] | 14,197 ft (4,327 m) | 437437 ft (133 m) |
| Kit Carson Peak[5] | 14,165 ft (4,317 m) | 1,0051,005 ft (306 m) |
| Challenger Point[6] | 14,080 ft (4,290 m) | 281281 ft (86 m) |
| Humboldt Peak[7] | 14,064 ft (4,287 m) | 1,1641,164 ft (355 m) |
| Culebra Peak[8] | 14,047 ft (4,282 m) | 4,8064,806 ft (1,465 m) |
| Ellingwood Point[9] | 14,042 ft (4,280 m) | 322322 ft (98 m) |
| Mount Lindsey[10] | 14,042 ft (4,280 m) | 1,5221,522 ft (464 m) |
| Little Bear Peak[11] | 14,037 ft (4,278 m) | 357357 ft (109 m) |
| Columbia Point[12] | 13,960 ft (4,260 m) | 320320 ft (98 m) |
| Mount Adams[13] | 13,937 ft (4,248 m) | 851851 ft (259 m) |
| California Peak[14] | 13,855 ft (4,223 m) | 609609 ft (186 m) |
| Rito Alto Peak[15] | 13,800 ft (4,200 m) | 1,1141,114 ft (340 m) |
| Colony Baldy[16] | 13,711 ft (4,179 m) | 905905 ft (276 m) |
| Pico Aislado[17] | 13,612 ft (4,149 m) | 837837 ft (255 m) |
| Tijeras Peak[18] | 13,610 ft (4,150 m) | 724724 ft (221 m) |
| Electric Peak[19] | 13,601 ft (4,146 m) | 915915 ft (279 m) |
| Cottonwood Peak[20] | 13,504 ft (4,116 m) | 1,1081,108 ft (338 m) |
| Twin Peaks[21] | 13,560 ft (4,130 m) | 600600 ft (180 m) |
| Broken Hand Peak[22] | 13,579 ft (4,139 m) | 653653 ft (199 m) |
| Fluted Peak[23] | 13,560 ft (4,130 m) | 714714 ft (218 m) |
| Milwaukee Peak[24] | 13,528 ft (4,123 m) | 282282 ft (86 m) |
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains run from Poncha Pass in Central Colorado to Glorieta Pass near Santa Fe, New Mexico.[25] Most of the range is shared by two National Forests, which abut along the range divide. Most of the northeast (Arkansas River) side is located within theSan Isabel National Forest, while most of the southwest (San Luis Valley) side is included in theRio Grande National Forest. The central part of the range is designated as theSangre de Cristo Wilderness. TheGreat Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve sits on the southwestern flank of the range at the edge of the San Luis Valley. The range divide is traversed by no paved roads, only byfour-wheel drive and foot trails overHayden Pass,Hermit Pass,Music Pass,Medano Pass, andMosca Pass.
The highest peak in the range, located in the south, isBlanca Peak at 14,345 ft (4,372 m); it is flanked by three otherfourteeners:Little Bear Peak,Mount Lindsey, andEllingwood Point.[Notes 1] Other well-known peaks are the fourteeners of theCrestone group:Kit Carson Mountain,Crestone Peak,Crestone Needle, andHumboldt Peak. Two sub-peaks of Kit Carson Mountain,Challenger Point andColumbia Point, are named in memory of the crews of theSpace Shuttle Challenger and theSpace Shuttle Columbia.The range is also home to many high peaks in the 13,000 to 14,000 foot (3,900-4,300 m) range as it continues into New Mexico. In New Mexico most of the mountain area is managed by the US Forest Service in the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests.
The Colorado Sangre de Cristos arefault-block mountains similar to theTeton Range in Wyoming and theWasatch Range in Utah. Major fault lines run along the east and west sides of the range, and cut right through the mountains in some places.[25] Like all fault-block mountain ranges, the Sangre de Cristos lackfoothills which means the highest peaks rise abruptly from the valleys to the east and west, rising 7,000 ft (2,100 m) in only a few miles in some places. The mountains were pushed up around 5 million years ago, basically as one large mass of rock. The Sangre de Cristo range is still being uplifted today as faults in the area remain active. Due to uplift (elevation increase) and erosion, rock layers are missing, causing gaps in the range, called "unconformities."[26]
On the west side is theSan Luis Valley, a portion of theRio Grande Rift. On the southeast side is theRaton Basin, a quiet but still activevolcanic field. On the northeast side are theWet Mountains and theFront Range, areas ofPrecambrianigneous andmetamorphic rocks formed during theColorado orogeny some 1.7 billion years ago and then uplifted more recently during theLaramide orogeny.
TheBlanca Massif is also Precambrian rock, while most of the rest of the Sangres is composed of youngerPermian-Pennsylvanian (about 250-million-year-old) rock, a mix ofsedimentaryconglomerates, silty mudstones andshales, sandstones, limestone beds[27] and igneousintrusions. These sedimentary rocks originated assedimenteroded from theAncestral Rocky Mountains. Crestone Conglomerate are a feature on many of the peaks, including Crestone Needle.[28] The conglomerate settled near the uplift and contains boulders as large as 6 feet in diameter.[26]
| Climate Data for Alamosa, Colorado (20 miles southwest of Blanca Peak)[29] | ||||
| Month | Average Low °F (°C) | Average High °F (°C) | Average Precipitation In (mm) | Average Snowfall In (cm) |
| January | -3.8 (-19.9) | 33.3 (0.7) | 0.3 (6.6) | 4.7 (11.4) |
| February | 4.8 (-15.1) | 39.9 (4.4) | 0.3 (7.4) | 4.9 (11.7) |
| March | 15.8 (-9.0) | 48.7 (9.3) | 0.5 (11.4) | 7.4 (17.8) |
| April | 23.5 (-4.7) | 58.6 (14.8) | 0.5 (12.4) | 4.2 (10.2) |
| May | 32.7 (0.4) | 68.0 (20.0) | 0.7 (16.3) | 1.9 (4.6) |
| June | 41.0 (5.0) | 77.7 (25.4) | 0.7 (17.0) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| July | 47.8 (8.8) | 82.0 (27.8) | 1.2 (30.2) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| August | 45.3 (7.4) | 79.2 (26.2) | 1.2 (28.4) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| September | 36.7 (2.6) | 72.7 (22.6) | 0.9 (22.6) | 0.3 (0.8) |
| October | 24.6 (-4.1) | 62.4 (16.9) | 0.7 (17.8) | 3.8 (9.1) |
| November | 12.4 (-10.9) | 47.5 (8.6) | 0.4 (10.9) | 4.7 (11.4) |
| December | -0.6 (-18.1) | 35.4 (1.9) | 0.5 (11.2) | 7.5 (18.0) |
| Year | 23.4 (-4.8) | 58.8 (14.88) | 0.7 (16.02) | 3.3 (7.92) |
Antonio Valverde y Cosio named the Sangre de Cristo range after the red-hue that he saw during the snowy sunrise. Sangre de Cristo means Blood of Christ in English.[30]
In the formation of the range, we can see fossils of footprints, shells and bones.[27]
In August 2009, the Sangre de Cristo Range was dedicated as aNational Heritage Area (NHA), an area of cultural, natural, and historic preservation.[31]
Today, tourism is the main economic activity.
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