2023 Map of Big Costilla Peak

About this map

The high alpine country along the Colorado New Mexico border is defined here by the massive profile of the Culebra Range. This modern survey centers on Big Costilla Peak, a prominent summit in Taos County that anchors a landscape of steep drainages and isolated mountain waters. To the east and south, the drainage of Costilla Creek flows toward the large Costilla Reservoir, which captures snowmelt from the surrounding peaks. The area is dotted with numerous small high-altitude water bodies, including Glacier Lakes near the northern boundary and the cluster of Seven Lakes. The terrain transitions from the deep timber of Long Canyon to the rocky heights of State Line Peak, where the geography remains wild and largely undeveloped, save for the complex network of creeks like Santistevan Creek and Allen Creek that feed the lower reservoir.