Ladrón Peak
.jpg?width=1600)
.jpg?width=480)
Ladrón Peak rises to 2,780 m in New Mexico. Tip Top Mountain stands 2,773 m to the south-southwest, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Monte Negro, a peak 1.9 miles away. El Camino Real passes 13 miles off. 94 named places lie within 25 miles, 49 of them named summits.
The story
Ladrón Peak is an isolated, highly visible peak in central New Mexico, lying about 50 mi (80 km) southwest of Albuquerque. Ladron Peak is the only major peak in the compact range (really one large massif) known as the Sierra Ladrones, which lies between the Rio Puerco to the east and the Rio Salado to the southwest. Despite its conical shape and its proximity to lava flows and small volcanoes, it is not itself a volcano, but an igneous intrusion. The core of the mountain is Precambrian granite. The peak rises dramatically from its surroundings on all sides; the summit is almost 4,500 feet (1,370 m) above the Rio Grande Valley, 10 miles (16 km) to the east. The name of the peak means "thief", and "Sierra Ladrones" means "thieves' mountains." Navajo and Apache raiding parties, and later Hispanic and Anglo rustlers, used the mountains as hideouts, hence the name. Evidence of human occupation goes back over 10,000 years, and more recent prehistoric use occurred by the Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan cultures. Today, part of the range is included in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The rest of the range is a mix of BLM and private land. Ecologically, Ladrón Peak is a sky island, supporting vegetation and wildlife not found in the surrounding grasslands. It is high enough to have coniferous forests on its upper slopes. Animal species include mountain lion, bear, pronghorn, elk, deer and reintroduced desert bighorn sheep.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6469827, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 2780 m
How to reach it
- 13.0 mi off the El Camino Real, National
- 24.3 mi off the Quebradas Back Country Byway
- 24.8 mi off the Abo Pass Trail
- 27.9 mi off the Socorro Historical District Scenic Byway
94 named places within 25 miles
- Monte Negro: 1.9 mi
- Cerro Colorado: 4.6 mi
- Sierra Ladrones: 6.0 mi
- Yellow Mountain: 7.6 mi
- Mesa Sarca: 8.7 mi
- 9: 14.3 mi
- 10: 14.3 mi
- 6: 14.3 mi
- 8: 14.3 mi
- 7: 14.3 mi
- Sarracino Hall: 18.4 mi
- Dust Bowl Home Historic Site: 18.9 mi
- Hilton House: 23.3 mi
- Charles Ilfield Company Warehouse: 23.7 mi
- ATSF M-1: 23.7 mi
- Bernado State Game Refuge: 15.3 mi
- Vivian Fields: 22.8 mi
- El Corazon de Belen Garden Park: 23.6 mi
- Anna Becker Park: 23.8 mi
- Cherry Town: 24.0 mi
- Tribute to Randall G. Sanders: 14.2 mi
- Red Mill: 21.3 mi
- Official Scenic Historic Marker: 23.2 mi
- Official Scenic Historic Marker: 23.6 mi
- Magdalena Fault Historical Marker: 24.4 mi
- San Lorenzo Spring: 14.0 mi
- Chavez Springs: 22.1 mi
- Dove Spring: 23.4 mi
- Hell Canyon Spring: 23.5 mi
- State Game Commission Land: 20.6 mi
- State Game Commission Land: 21.9 mi
- State Game Commission Land: 23.4 mi
- Box Car Museum: 23.6 mi
- Valencia County Historical Society Museum: 23.8 mi
- Harvey House Museum: 23.8 mi
- Hells Mesa: 14.3 mi
- Mesa Cencerro: 18.1 mi
- Bell: 21.4 mi
- Belen B: 22.5 mi
- Riley: 9.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Ladrón Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tip Top Mountain | SSW 195° | 2,773 m | 24.2 mi |
| North Peak | SSW 195° | 2,763 m | 24.1 mi |
| Hells Mesa | SW 232° | 2,381 m | 14.3 mi |
| Mesa Gallina | NNW 337° | 2,332 m | 21.5 mi |
| Chicken Mountain | NW 323° | 2,320 m | 18.7 mi |
| Scott Mesa | SW 234° | 2,319 m | 16.7 mi |
| Baxter Peak | SSW 197° | 2,317 m | 24.2 mi |
| Monte Negro | ENE 61° | 2,287 m | 1.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:13 | 18:47 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:57 | 19:48 | 20:25 |
| September equinox | 06:57 | 18:33 | 19:07 |
| December solstice | 07:12 | 16:24 | 17:03 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 42 | 50 | 58 | 67 | 77 | 80 | 77 | 70 | 58 | 45 | 36 |
| Precip in | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Socorro 20 N, 13 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357576031
Day trips start here
- Belen · 24 mi
Take the scenic way to Ladrón Peak.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.