Wheeler Peak
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Wheeler Peak rises to 4,011 m in New Mexico. Mount Walter stands 3,996 m to the north-northeast, 0.3 miles off. The nearest named place is Wheeler Peak Historical Marker, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway passes 7.7 miles off. 151 named places lie within 25 miles, 57 of them named summits.
Highest point in New Mexico
The story
Wheeler Peak is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located northeast of Taos and south of Red River in the northern part of the state, and just 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of the ski slopes of Taos Ski Valley. It lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The peak's elevation is 13,167 feet (4,013 m). Formerly named Taos Peak, after the nearby town of Taos, New Mexico, it was renamed Wheeler Peak in 1950. A plaque at the summit states that the mountain was:
Named in honor of Major George Montague Wheeler (1832–1909) who for ten years led a party of surveyors and naturalists collecting geologic, biologic, planimetric and topographic data in New Mexico and six other southwestern states.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1505965, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 4,011 m
How to reach it
- 7.7 mi off the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
- 16.1 mi off the Wild Rivers Back Country Scenic Byway
- 16.9 mi off the High Road to Taos
- 26.4 mi off the Santa Fe Trail, National
Overlooks nearby
- Chawalauna Overlook · 17 mi
- Sheep Crossing · 20 mi
- Base Camp View · 26 mi
- U S Hill · 26 mi
151 named places within 25 miles
- Mount Walter: 0.3 mi
- Simpson Peak: 0.6 mi
- Old Mike Peak: 1.0 mi
- Red Dome: 1.6 mi
- Lake Fork Peak: 1.6 mi
- Wheeler Peak Historical Marker: 0.0 mi
- Eagle Nest Marker: 8.3 mi
- Lawrence Memorial: 10.0 mi
- D A V Vietnam Veterans National Memorial Historical Marker: 10.5 mi
- San Geronimo (St. Jerome) de Taos Mission ruins: 10.9 mi
- Hematite Park: 7.4 mi
- Foster Park: 7.8 mi
- Enchanted Eagle Park: 8.5 mi
- Enchanted Forest: 10.2 mi
- Brandenburg Park: 10.4 mi
- Hlauuma (North House): 10.8 mi
- Hlaukwima (South House): 10.8 mi
- San Geronimo Chapel: 10.9 mi
- Mabel Dodge Luhan House Historic Site: 13.4 mi
- Taos Inn Historic Site: 13.4 mi
- Eagle Nest Visitor Center & Gateway Museum: 8.9 mi
- Little Red School House: 10.3 mi
- Millicent Rogers Museum: 12.6 mi
- Taos Art Museum: 13.2 mi
- Bent House Museum: 13.4 mi
- Apache Spring: 7.1 mi
- Manby Hot Springs: 17.4 mi
- Crooked Creek Spring: 17.5 mi
- Ponce de Leon Hot Springs: 19.2 mi
- Rio Grande Spring: 23.7 mi
- Eagle: 8.5 mi
- Native Art: 12.5 mi
- Questa Apple: 13.5 mi
- Padre Antonio Jose Martinez: 13.6 mi
- Red Horse: 14.2 mi
- Eagle Nest Lake State Park: 9.4 mi
- Eagle Nest Wildlife Management Area: 10.0 mi
- Cimarron Canyon State Park: 14.0 mi
- State Game Commission Land: 15.5 mi
- Urraca Wildlife Management Area: 22.4 mi
- La Vinateria: 14.1 mi
- Palisades Picnic Area: 14.8 mi
- Palisades: 14.5 mi
- Betty's Bra: 22.9 mi
- Salto Del Agua Waterfall: 6.9 mi
- La Belle: 15.6 mi
- Black Rock Hot Spring: 16.5 mi
- Gorge Overlook Rest Stop: 18.6 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Wheeler Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Walter | NNE 24° | 3,996 m | 0.3 mi |
| Old Mike Peak | SE 144° | 3,989 m | 1.0 mi |
| Simpson Peak | SSE 167° | 3,953 m | 0.6 mi |
| Lake Fork Peak | WSW 254° | 3,929 m | 1.6 mi |
| Venado Peak | NNW 345° | 3,880 m | 16.8 mi |
| Gold Hill | NNW 340° | 3,872 m | 6.3 mi |
| Red Dome | ESE 113° | 3,868 m | 1.6 mi |
| Vallecito Mountain | WSW 238° | 3,848 m | 3.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:06 | 18:40 | 19:14 |
| June solstice | 05:44 | 19:46 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:50 | 18:26 | 19:00 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 16:10 | 16:50 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 22 | 26 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 57 | 62 | 60 | 54 | 43 | 32 | 23 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Eagle Nest, 9 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357611025
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