2023 Map of Chicken Mountain

About this map

Chicken Mountain and the towering Sierra Lucero anchor this high-desert landscape in Cibola County. The terrain is defined by a series of drainages and canyons, most notably Rock-Tank Canyon, Hippy Draw, and Chicken Mountain Draw. Water management in this arid environment is evident through a network of livestock tanks and ephemeral basins such as Lake Erie, Laguna Bonita, and Dry Lake. Distinctive geological features like the sharp rise of Cerro Alesna and the flat-topped Mesa Cimarron provide clear landmarks across the township and range lines. The presence of numerous named water sources, including Rough and Muddy Tank and Burkhardt Tank, suggests a landscape primarily utilized for ranching and grazing where reliable water access was paramount to local land use and boundary definitions.