2017 Map of Truchas Peak

About this map

High-elevation peaks and alpine watersheds dominate this 2017 survey of the Santa Fe National Forest and Carson National Forest border. The terrain is anchored by a cluster of prominent summits, including Truchas Peak, Mid Truchas Peak, and N Truchas Peak, forming a high ridgeline that separates the drainage systems of the Rio Medio and Rio Quemado. This area marks a critical divide where the Santa Fe Mountains meet the broader Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with elevations reaching well above the timberline. Scattered throughout these high basins are remote water bodies such as Truchas Lakes and Jose Vigil Lake, which feed a complex network of headwaters including the N-Fork Rio Quemado and S-Fork Rio Quemado. To the south, the landscape transitions toward Pecos Baldy and East Pecos Baldy, where the Pecos Baldy Lake sits below the distinctive geologic formation of Traitriders Wall.