2023 Map of Ash Mountain

About this map

Little Costilla Peak and Ash Mtn define the high elevations along the border between Taos and Colfax counties in this northern New Mexico survey. This region, where the Culebra Range meets the Cimarron Range, is characterized by high alpine basins like Valle Vidal and Elk Meadows. A complex network of drainage basins feeds numerous waterways, including Middle Ponil Creek, Vidal Creek, and McCrystal Creek. The landscape features dramatic geomorphological formations such as The Rock Wall and Windy Gap, which historically influenced movement through these high passes. Named canyons like Harry Bremmer Canyon and Powderhouse Canyon reflect the human history of resource extraction and ranching in this remote section of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, now navigated primarily by Forest Service roads like FR 1950 and FR 1916.