Vallecito Mountain

Vallecito Mountain
Vallecito Mountain
	West aspect
Highest point
Elevation	12,643 ft (3,854 m)
Prominence	794 ft (242 m)
Parent peak	Lake Fork Peak
Isolation	1.46 mi (2.35 km)
Coordinates	36°32′03″N 105°27′44″W / 36.5340668°N 105.4622416°W
Geography
	Vallecito Mountain Location in New Mexico Vallecito Mountain Vallecito Mountain (the United States)
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Taos
Protected area	Wheeler Peak Wilderness
Parent range	Taos Mountains; Sangre de Cristo Mountains; Rocky Mountains
Topo map	USGS Wheeler Peak
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2 hiking

Vallecito Mountain is a 12,643-foot elevation (3,854 m) summit in Taos County, New Mexico, United States.

Description

Vallecito Mountain is part of the Taos Mountains which are a subset of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and it ranks as the 14th-highest summit in New Mexico.^[1]^[4] The mountain is located 12 miles northeast of the town of Taos and three miles west-southwest of Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. The mountain is set on the boundary of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and the Carson National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries the Rio Grande. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above Lucero Canyon in 1.7 mile (2.7 km). This mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,^[5] and the Spanish name "Vallecito" means "little valley."^[6]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vallecito Mountain has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.^[7] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

Gallery

Southwest aspect of Vallecito Mountain centered on the skyline.
(Pueblo Peak in the upper right corner)
Vallecito Mountain (center) and Lake Fork Peak (left)

References

^ ^a ^b "Vallecito Mountain, New Mexico". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
^ Robert Julyan (2006), The Mountains of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 9780826335166, p. 324
^ "Vallecito Mountain, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-06-01.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Vallecito Mountain - 12,643' NM". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
^ ^a ^b "Vallecito Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
^ Robert Julyan (1996), The Place Names of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 9780826351142, p. 369.
^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.

External links

Vallecito Mountain: weather forecast

[peakbagger-1] "Vallecito Mountain, New Mexico". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.

[Julyan-2] Robert Julyan (2006), The Mountains of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 9780826335166, p. 324

[peakvisor-3] "Vallecito Mountain, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-06-01.

[loj-4] "Vallecito Mountain - 12,643' NM". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-21.

[gnis-5] "Vallecito Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-06-01.

[6] Robert Julyan (1996), The Place Names of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 9780826351142, p. 369.

[Peel-7] Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.

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