2001 Map of Crestone Peak

About this map

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains dominate this high-altitude landscape, where sharp summits like Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle rise along the county boundary. The map illustrates a complex intersection of land management, featuring the eastern edge of the Luis Maria Baca Grant No 4 and the preserved expanses of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Natural drainage patterns are clearly defined by Sand Creek, Macey Creek, and the headwaters of Rio Grande Creek, which feed into alpine basins such as Upper Sand Creek Lake and the Macey Lakes. Evidence of mineral exploration appears in the western gulches, where several Mines and Prospects are recorded near Cedar Canyon and Milwaukee Hill. These mining efforts stand in contrast to the protected wilderness and the edges of the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, highlighting the area's dual history of resource extraction and early 21st-century conservation.