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, . 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 . 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, , as their highest point. Other notable peaks are Santa Fe Baldy () and Jicarita Peak (). The Pecos Wilderness is crossed by many trails and is popular for backpacking and for fishing in its high alpine lakes. Prominent peaks 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 , 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. See also Glorieta Pass Valle Vidal Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park Southern Rocky Mountains References Notes External links Sangre de Cristo Mountains @ Peakbagger List of the 13-ers in Sangre de Cristo NPS—TwHP: “Glorieta and Raton Passes: Gateways to the Southwest” — a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan. Mountain ranges of