View source for Sangre de Cristo Range

{{Short description|American mountain range}}
{{About|the northernmost extent of the greater Sangre de Cristo mountain range|the full extent of the mountain range|Sangre de Cristo Mountains}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox mountain
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
| name= Sangre de Cristo Range
| native_name=
| other_name= Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
<!-- *** Image *** -->
| photo= Sangredecristomtns.JPG
| photo_size= 350px
| photo_caption= Sangre de Cristo Range seen from [[Hardscrabble Pass]].
<!-- *** Etymology *** --->
| etymology= ''Sangre de Cristo'' {{langx|es|Blood of Christ}}
<!-- *** Country etc. *** -->
| country= [[United States]]
| subdivision1= [[Colorado]]
| subdivision2_type= [[County (United States)|Counties]]
| subdivision2= {{hlist|[[Chaffee County, Colorado|Chaffee]]|[[Fremont County, Colorado|Fremont]]|[[Custer County, Colorado|Custer]]|[[Saguache County, Colorado|Saguache]]|[[Huerfano County, Colorado|Huerfano]]}}

<!-- *** Orthography *** -->
| parent= [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains]], [[Rocky Mountains]]
| borders_on= {{hlist|[[San Luis Valley]]|[[Arkansas River]] watershed}}
| geology= 
| age= {{hlist|[[Precambrian]]|[[Permian]]-[[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]]}}
| orogeny= [[Horst (geology)|Fault-block]] mountains
<!-- *** Geography *** -->
| area_mi2= 1250
| range_coordinates= 
| length_mi= 75
| length_orientation= north-south
| width_mi= 48
| width_orientation= east-west
| highest= [[Blanca Peak]]
| elevation_ft= 14345
| coordinates= {{coord|37|34|38|N|105|29|7|W|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map= USA Colorado
| map_size=
| map_caption=
| label= Sangre&nbsp;de&nbsp;Cristo Range
}}

The '''Sangre de Cristo Range''' is a [[mountain range]] in the [[Rocky Mountains]] in southern [[Colorado]] in the [[United States]], running north and south along the east side of the [[Rio Grande Rift]]. The mountains extend southeast from [[Poncha Pass]] for about {{cvt|75|mi|||}} through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass, approximately {{cvt|20|mi|||}} west of [[Walsenburg, Colorado|Walsenburg]], and form a high ridge separating the [[San Luis Valley]] on the west from the watershed of the [[Arkansas River]] on the east. The Sangre de Cristo Range rises over {{cvt|7000|ft|||}} above the valleys and plains to the west and northeast.

According to the [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]], the range is the northern part of the larger [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains]], which extend through northern [[New 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.

==Notable peaks==
A [[Fourteener|14er]] 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,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Colorado 14ers {{!}} List of 58 Fourteener Mountains |url=https://www.uncovercolorado.com/colorado-14ers-list/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.uncovercolorado.com}}</ref> which can be seen in the table below. 
{| class="wikitable sortable" align="center"
|+Major peaks of the Sangre de Cristo<br /><small>Named peaks over {{convert|13500|ft|m}}</small>
|-
!Peak name
!Elevation
![[Topographic prominence|Prominence]]
|-
|[[Blanca Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5921 |title=Blanca Peak|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14351|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|5326}}</span>{{convert|5326|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Crestone Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5908 |title=Crestone Peak |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14300|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|4534}}</span>{{convert|4534|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Crestone Needle]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5909 |title=Crestone Needle|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14197|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|437}}</span>{{convert|437|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Kit Carson Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5903 |title=Kit Carson Mountain |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14165|ft|m||abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|1005}}</span>{{convert|1005|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Challenger Point]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5902 |title=Challenger Point|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14080|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|281}}</span>{{convert|281|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Humboldt Peak (Colorado)|Humboldt Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5906 |title=Humboldt Peak|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14064|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|1164}}</span>{{convert|1164|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Culebra Peak]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Culebra Peak - Northwest Ridge {{!}} Route |url=https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=cule1&peak=Culebra+Peak |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=14ers.com |language=en}}</ref>
|{{convert|14047|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|4806}}</span>{{convert|4806|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Ellingwood Point]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5919 |title=Ellingwood Point |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14042|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|322}}</span>{{convert|322|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Mount Lindsey]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5918 |title=Mount Lindsey |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14042|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|1522}}</span>{{convert|1522|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Little Bear Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5922 |title=Little Bear Peak|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|14037|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|357}}</span>{{convert|357|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Columbia Point]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5904 |title=Columbia Point |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13960|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|320}}</span>{{convert|320|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Mount Adams (Colorado)|Mount Adams]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5901 |title=Mount Adams | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13937|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|851}}</span>{{convert|851|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[California Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5916 |title=California Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13855|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|609}}</span>{{convert|609|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Rito Alto Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5898 |title=Rito Alto Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13800|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|1114}}</span>{{convert|1114|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Colony Baldy]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=17418 |title=Colony Baldy | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13711|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|905}}</span>{{convert|905|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Pico Aislado]]<ref>{{cite bivouac |id=25460 |title=Pico Aislado | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13612|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|837}}</span>{{convert|837|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Tijeras Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=18902 |title=Tijeras Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13610|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|724}}</span>{{convert|724|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Electric Peak (Sangre de Cristo)|Electric Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5896 |title=Electric Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13601|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|915}}</span>{{convert|915|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Cottonwood Peak (Colorado)|Cottonwood Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5895 |title=Cottonwood Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13504|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|1108}}</span>{{convert|1108|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Twin Peaks (Sangre de Cristo)|Twin Peaks]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=14622 |title=Twin Peaks |access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13560|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|600}}</span>{{convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Broken Hand Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5910 |title=Broken Hand Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13579|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|653}}</span>{{convert|653|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Fluted Peak (Colorado)|Fluted Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=14639 |title=Fluted Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13560|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|714}}</span>{{convert|714|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|-
|[[Milwaukee Peak]]<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=14665 |title=Milwaukee Peak | access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref>
|{{convert|13528|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|<span style="display:none">{{nts|282}}</span>{{convert|282|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|}

==Geography==
[[File:Sangre-de-Christo-pano.jpg|upright=2.4|thumb|Seen from the San Luis Valley]]
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains run from Poncha Pass in Central Colorado to Glorieta Pass near Santa Fe, New Mexico.<ref name=":1" /> 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 the [[San Isabel National Forest]], while most of the southwest (San Luis Valley) side is included in the [[Rio Grande National Forest]]. The central part of the range is designated as the [[Sangre de Cristo Wilderness]]. The [[Great 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 by [[four-wheel drive]] and foot trails over [[Hayden Pass (Colorado)|Hayden Pass]], [[Hermit Pass]], [[Music Pass]], [[Medano Pass]], and [[Mosca Pass]].
[[Image:CotopaxiMts.JPG|upright=1.25|thumb|Northern Sangre de Cristo Range seen from [[Coaldale, Colorado]].]]

The highest peak in the range, located in the south, is [[Blanca Peak]] at {{cvt|14345|ft|||}}; it is flanked by three other [[fourteeners]]: [[Little Bear Peak]], [[Mount Lindsey]], and [[Ellingwood Point]].<ref group="Notes">Ellingwood Point is not always counted as an official fourteener, as it has a high saddle connecting it with Blanca Peak, and hence a low [[topographic prominence]].</ref> Other well-known peaks are the fourteeners of the [[Crestones|Crestone]] group: [[Kit Carson Mountain]], [[Crestone Peak]], [[Crestone Needle]], and [[Humboldt Peak (Colorado)|Humboldt Peak]]. Two sub-peaks of Kit Carson Mountain, [[Challenger Point]] and [[Columbia Point]], are named in memory of the crews of the [[STS-51-L|Space Shuttle Challenger]] and the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle Columbia]].
The range is also home to many high peaks in the 13,000 to 14,000 foot (3,900-4,300&nbsp;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.

==Geology==
The Colorado Sangre de Cristos are [[Horst (geology)|fault-block]] mountains similar to the [[Teton Range]] in Wyoming and the [[Wasatch 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-09-16 |title=The Sangre de Cristo Mountains |url=https://spanishpeakscountry.com/the-sangre-de-cristo-mountains/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=Spanish Peaks County - Explore Southern Colorado's rich history, natural wonders, and artistic inspiration |language=en-US}}</ref> Like all fault-block mountain ranges, the Sangre de Cristos lack [[foothills]] which means the highest peaks rise abruptly from the valleys to the east and west, rising {{cvt|7000|ft|||}} 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."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=USGS Circular 1349: The Geologic Story of Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Range |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1349/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=pubs.usgs.gov}}</ref>

[[File:Dunes great sand 2.jpg|upright=1.75|thumb|left|The Sangre de Cristo Range rising above the [[Great Sand Dunes National Park]]]]

On the west side is the [[San Luis Valley]], a portion of the [[Rio Grande Rift]]. On the southeast side is the [[Raton Basin]], a quiet but still active [[volcanic field]]. On the northeast side are the [[Wet Mountains]] and the [[Front Range]], areas of [[Precambrian]] [[igneous rock|igneous]] and [[metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] rocks formed during the [[Colorado orogeny]] some 1.7 billion years ago and then uplifted more recently during the [[Laramide orogeny]].

The [[Blanca Peak|Blanca Massif]] is also Precambrian rock, while most of the rest of the Sangres is composed of younger [[Permian]]-[[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] (about 250-million-year-old) rock, a mix of [[sedimentary rock|sedimentary]] [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerates]], silty mudstones and [[shale]]s, sandstones, limestone beds <ref name="Tanner 144–161">{{Cite journal |last1=Tanner |first1=Lawrence H. |last2=Lucas |first2=Spencer G. |date=2017-04-01 |title=Paleosols of the upper Paleozoic Sangre de Cristo Formation, north-central New Mexico: Record of early Permian palaeoclimate in tropical Pangaea |journal=Journal of Palaeogeography |language=en |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=144–161 |doi=10.1016/j.jop.2017.02.001 |issn=2095-3836|doi-access=free |bibcode=2017JPalG...6..144T }}</ref> and igneous [[intrusion]]s. These sedimentary rocks originated as [[sediment]] [[erosion|eroded]] from the [[Ancestral Rocky Mountains]]. Crestone Conglomerate are a feature on many of the peaks, including Crestone Needle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sangre de Cristo Mountains : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost |url=https://www.summitpost.org/sangre-de-cristo-mountains/171124 |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.summitpost.org}}</ref> The conglomerate settled near the uplift and contains boulders as large as 6 feet in diameter.<ref name=":0" />

== Climate ==
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="5" |Climate Data for Alamosa, Colorado (20 miles southwest of Blanca Peak) <ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-03-25 |title=Alamosa, CO, Colorado, USA: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data |url=http://climate-charts.com/Locations/u/US72462000501301.php |access-date=2022-05-03 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325142415/http://climate-charts.com/Locations/u/US72462000501301.php |archive-date=25 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|Month
|Average Low

°F (°C)
|Average High

°F (°C)
|Average Precipitation

In (mm)
|Average Snowfall

In (cm)
|-
|January
|<nowiki>-3.8 (-19.9)</nowiki>
|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
|<nowiki>-0.6 (-18.1)</nowiki>
|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)
|}

==History==
[[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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sangre de Cristo Mountains {{!}} mountains, United States {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sangre-de-Cristo-Mountains |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

In the formation of the range, we can see fossils of footprints, shells and bones.<ref name="Tanner 144–161"/>

In August 2009, the Sangre de Cristo Range was dedicated as a [[National Heritage Area]] (NHA), an area of cultural, natural, and historic preservation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area - Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/grsa/learn/news/sangre-de-cristo-nha.htm |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref>

== Economy ==
Today, tourism is the main economic activity.

==See also==
{{Portal|Colorado|Mountains}}
*[[Southern Rocky Mountains]]
*[[Mountain ranges of Colorado]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

;Notes
{{Reflist|group="Notes"}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sangre de Cristo Range}}
*[http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=14680 Sangre de Cristo Range @ Peakbagger]
*[http://pikespeakphoto.com/sangres/sangre.html Table listing of all the thirteeners in Sangre de Cristo @ Pikes Peak Photo]
*[http://www.daveharpe.com/public/colorado_20120225_001/ High resolution zoomable panorama of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range looking West]
*[http://www.summitpost.org/list/171320/co-nm-sangre-de-cristo-mountains.html CO & NM Sangre de Cristo Mountains]

{{Mountains of Colorado}}
{{Colorado}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mountain ranges of Colorado]]
[[Category:Sangre de Cristo Mountains]]
[[Category:Ranges of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Landforms of Custer County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Landforms of Saguache County, Colorado]]
[[Category:San Luis Valley of Colorado]]
[[Category:Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area]]