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ALASKA &
NW CANADA MAP



WESTERN U.S.
& CANADA MAP

  Rainbow Range
  Ilgachuz Range
  Itcha Range
  Silverthrone Mountain
  Mount Waddington
  Mount Munday
  Yellowstone Caldera
  Craters of the Moon
  Mammoth Mountain
  Mount Williamson
  Mount Whitney
  Humphreys Peak
  Mount Baldy
  Mount Taylor
  Valles Caldera


MEXICO &
C. AMERICA MAP






| Mount Taylor from the south in mid-December
(photographer unknown)   <click to enlarge>

Mount Taylor
    11301 ft (3445 m) .
Location: Western New Mexico,
55 miles (90 km) W of Albuquerque
Lat / Long: 35.2° N, 107.6° W
Volcanic Type: Dissected stratovolcano
Volcanic Status: Extinct
First Ascent: Unknown, probably Native American
First Ski Descent:
Skiable Vertical: over 3000 ft (900 m)
Administration:   Cibola National Forest



Mount Taylor is one the four sacred mountains of the Navajo, known to them as "Tsoodzil", the Blue Bead Mountain. The Spanish settlers named it "Cebolleta", or tender onion, and later San Mateo. Finally, US Army engineers named it for President Zachary Taylor in 1849. The mountain is a vast eroded volcanic massif which towers more than a mile above the desert plateau of central New Mexico. Most of its bulk was built during eruptions 2.5-3.3 million years ago, and it is now probably extinct. Erosion has since removed much of the cone, leaving several high points along three sides of a large east-facing valley (Water Canyon) where the original volcanic crater is believed to have been. These high points include the 11301 ft summit of Mount Taylor and also 11036 ft La Mosca Peak, the site of a fire lookout. The best source of information about Mount Taylor and the surrounding area is the excellent book by Sherry Robinson, "El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains: A Hiking Guide and History". An interesting local event is the Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon (see link below), which is held every February. This race involves running, biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing 22 miles from Grants, NM, to the summit of Mount Taylor, and then back down to town again.


| Topographic map of the summit of Mount Taylor
(1:24,000 scale) from USGS Mount Taylor,
Cerro Pelon, San Mateo, and Lobo Springs
<click to enlarge>
Some useful links:  

    Volcanoes of New Mexico
    Cibola National Forest
    Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon
   
   
Topographic map of the Mount Taylor region
    (1:250,000 scale) from USGS Albuquerque
    <click to enlarge>


      More photos and info about routes, access, etc. may be added in the future ...


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Amar Andalkar   Seattle, WA, USA   <About the Author / Contact Me>
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