Baldy Mountain (Colfax County, New Mexico)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baldy Mountain
Baldy Mountain from Copper Park camp
Elevation	12,441 feet (3,792 m)
Location	Colfax County, New Mexico, USA
Range	Cimarron Range, Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Coordinates	36°37′48″N, 105°12′48″W[1]
Topo map	USGS Baldy Mountain (NM)

Baldy Mountain (official name), or Mount Baldy, is the second highest peak in the Cimarron Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. It is located in Colfax County, about 6 mi (10 km) northeast of Eagle Nest. It rises abruptly, with 3,640 feet of vertical relief (in 3 miles/4.8 km), from the Moreno Valley to the west.^[2]

Baldy Mountain lies on the northwestern border of the Boy Scouts of America's Philmont Scout Ranch. The valleys on the eastern side of the peak are home to some of the many small camps that are scattered throughout the Ranch. Four wheel drive roads and a radio tower exist high on the western slopes. In 1963 Norton Clapp bought 10,098 acres (41 km²) around the mountain and donated it to the Scouts.

Copper and gold were mined in the area starting in 1866, and the top of Baldy Mountain was developed as the Mystic Lode copper mine.^[2] Mine workings and prospects are still evident on the slopes of the mountain as well. There are about 70 miles of mines in the whole mountain. A total of $4 million was made from the gold in the mountain.^{[citation needed]}

Baldy Summit Ridge

Baldy Mountain

Baldy Mountain from Wilson Mesa

[edit] References

1. ^ Baldy Mountain on Topozone
2. ^ ^{a b} Butterfield, Mike, and Greene, Peter, Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico, New Mexico Magazine Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-937206-88-1