2011 Map of Medano Pass

About this map

Medano Pass serves as the central focal point for this 2011 survey of the high-elevation divide in Alamosa County. The landscape is defined by the headwaters of numerous drainages, where Medano Creek and its tributaries, including Hudson Branch Medano Creek and Little Medano Creek, flow through steep terrain marked by Big South Canyon. Water management in this high-altitude environment is evidenced by the presence of the Hudson Ditch and Medano Ditch, along with McKinley Clay Dam situated near the peaks. High summits like Mount Herard and Mount Zwischen tower over the creek beds. A network of rural routes, such as County Rd 559 and County Rd 586, provides the only vehicular access into these remote reaches of the Sangre de Cristo range.