- Venado Peak
Infobox Mountain
Name = Venado Peak
Photo =
Caption =
Elevation = Convert|12734|ft|m|0|abbr=on
Location = Taos County,New Mexico ,United States
Range =Taos Mountains ,Sangre de Cristo Mountains ,Rocky Mountains
Coordinates = coord|36|47|30|N|105|29|36|W|type:mountain_region:US [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=36.79167&lon=-105.49278&datum=nad27&u=6&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50 Venado Peak on TopoQuest] ]
TopographicUSGS Latir Peak (NM)
Prominence = Convert|2971|ft|m|0|abbr=on [http://listsofjohn.com/NewMexico/Prominence/Prominence.php New Mexico on Lists Of John] ]
First ascent = unknown
Easiest route = hikeVenado Peak is one of the major peaks of the
Taos Mountains group of theSangre de Cristo Mountains , a subrange of theRocky Mountains . It is located in Taos County,New Mexico , about Convert|8|mi|km|0|abbr=on northeast of the town of Questa. It lies in theLatir Peak Wilderness , part ofCarson National Forest . The peak's name means "deer" in Spanish.Robert Julyan, "The Place Names of New Mexico" (Revised Edition),University of New Mexico Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8263-1689-1.]The high point of the group of peaks north of the Red River and southwest of Costilla Creek, Venado Peak ranks tenth by elevation in the state and third by
topographic prominence in New Mexico's portion of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.Other peaks in the group include Latir Peak, Convert|12708|ft|m|0, Virsylvia Peak, Convert|12594|ft|m|0, Cabresto Peak, Convert|12448|ft|m|0, and Pinabete Peak, Convert|11948|ft|m|0. (The origins of the names "Latir" and "Virsylvia" are unknown, while "Cabresto" means "rope" or "halter" and "Pinabete" means "pine tree" in Spanish.) Latir Peak is the most well-known of the entire group, despite not being the highest peak, and is the namesake for the surrounding wilderness area, nine small alpine lakes on the northeast side of the group, and a creek draining those lakes. Despite being significantly lower than the other peaks, Pinabete peak is just as visually prominent, as it is the end of a long ridge jutting out southwest toward the plains near Questa. It rises about Convert|4250|ft|m|-1 above the plain in about Convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on.
Just south of the group is Cabresto Creek, and also Cabresto Lake, a popular
fishing destination with an established Forest Servicecampground . [http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson/recreation/camping/cabresto_campground.shtml Cabresto Campground] on the official Forest Service site] The Latir Lakes, and the entire northeast side of the group, are owned by the Rio Costilla Cattle Association, which allows recreational access for a fee. On the southeast side of the group lies Heart Lake. The peaks themselves can be accessed from either Cabresto Lake (via the Lake Fork, Bull Creek, and Heart Lake Trails) or Latir Lakes. [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151856/venado-peak.html Venado Peak on Summitpost] ]Geologically, the Taos Mountains have a
Precambrian metamorphic core, about 1.7 billion years old. However, the region around Venado Peak also includesTertiary volcanic rocks such astuff , as well as the remnants of "a complex and mineral-rich caldera that formed about 25 million years ago."Halka Chronic, "Roadside Geology of New Mexico", Mountain Press, 1987, ISBN 0-87842-209-9] Most of the summit areas are broad, and covered with alpinetundra ; thetree line lies between Convert|11000|ft|m|-2 and Convert|12000|ft|m|-2. A notable feature of the group is the large, gently sloped Latir Mesa, lying south of Latir Peak at elevations between Convert|12200|ft|m|-2 and Convert|12600|ft|m|-2|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on|abbr=on.References
External links
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/carson/ Carson National Forest official site]
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