Colfax County topographic map

Albuquerque features a striking topography characterized by its elevation and diverse geological formations. The city sits at an approximate elevation of 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) near the Rio Grande, rising dramatically to over 6,700 feet (2,000 meters) in the foothills of the nearby Sandia Mountains. These…

Average elevation: 5,538 ft

With a population of 87,505 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth-largest city in New Mexico. It is also the county seat of Santa Fe County. Its metropolitan area is part of the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Las Vegas combined statistical area, which had a population of 1,162,523 in 2020. The city was founded in…

Average elevation: 7,287 ft

Rio Rancho is in an arid climate due to its location in the rain shadow of the Sandia Mountains to the east and the Continental Divide to the west. Rio Rancho receives 8.90 inches of precipitation annually on average. The western portion of the city receives slightly more rain and snowfall due to its higher…

Average elevation: 5,486 ft

Average elevation: 7,139 ft

Gallup, like most of the interior Mountain West, has a cool semiarid climate (Köppen BSk). The summers are hot during the day, but the high altitude and low humidity mean that nights remain distinctly cool; as late as July 2, 1997, the temperature fell to 31 °F (−1 °C). Despite the large diurnal…

Average elevation: 6,781 ft

Average elevation: 9,885 ft

Angel Fire is located in southwestern Colfax County at 36°22′44″N 105°17′8″W / 36.37889°N 105.28556°W / 36.37889; -105.28556 (36.378808, -105.285658). The village center is in the valley of Cieneguilla Creek, with housing developments climbing mountain slopes to the east and west. Angel…

Average elevation: 9,140 ft

Average elevation: 5,571 ft

During the period from 1901 to 1964 when readings were taken at the city center (which is cooler and wetter than outlying and lower-elevation districts nearby), the coldest temperature recorded was −13 °F (−25 °C) on January 11, 1962, and the hottest 105 °F (40.6 °C) on July 5, 1901. The coldest month…

Average elevation: 6,070 ft

Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. Despite being located in an otherwise arid region, its high elevation (8,676 feet (2,644 m); one of the highest in the U.S.) allows for a mild summer…

Average elevation: 8,671 ft

The elevation of the town is 6,969 feet (2,124 m). Just north of Taos is Wheeler Peak, at 13,161 feet (4,011 m), the highest point in New Mexico. Taos has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), though it borders on a semi-arid climate (BSk) due to the low rainfall. The town is characterized by…

Average elevation: 7,152 ft

The approximate elevation of Las Cruces is 3,908 feet (1,191 m) above sea level.

Average elevation: 4,255 ft

Average elevation: 6,703 ft

Ruidoso is in southern Lincoln County, with elevations ranging from 6,400 feet (2,000 m) at the village's southeast corner in the valley of the Rio Ruidoso up to over 7,700 feet (2,300 m) at the village's northern end near Alto. Ruidoso's southern border and westernmost border follow the Otero County line. The…

Average elevation: 7,503 ft

Average elevation: 6,913 ft

Average elevation: 3,629 ft

Los Alamos is located in northern New Mexico between the Rio Grande and the eastern rim of the Valles Caldera on the Pajarito Plateau, approximately 35 mi (56 km) to the northwest of Santa Fe. The elevation at the post office is 7,320 feet (2,230 m) and total land area is 11.14 square miles (28.9 km2).

Average elevation: 7,205 ft

Average elevation: 4,167 ft

The monument is 50 square miles (130 km2) of the Pajarito Plateau, on the slopes of the Jemez volcanic field in the Jemez Mountains. Over 70% of the monument is wilderness, with over one mile of elevation change, from about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the Rio Grande to over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) at the peak of…

Average elevation: 6,988 ft

Average elevation: 4,436 ft

Average elevation: 6,926 ft

Average elevation: 7,867 ft

Average elevation: 5,764 ft

Average elevation: 6,949 ft

Average elevation: 5,784 ft

Average elevation: 8,192 ft

A mining rush followed the Apache wars – gold, silver, and copper were found in the mountains. It wasn't until this time that extensive use of the area by non-Native Americans occurred. While some mining activity, involving gold, silver, and copper, occurred in the southern part of the range near the end of…

Average elevation: 6,004 ft

Average elevation: 5,433 ft

Average elevation: 3,609 ft

Capulin Volcano National Monument is a well-preserved, relatively young (55,000 to 62,000 years old), symmetrical cinder cone. It rises steeply from the surrounding grassland plains to an elevation of 8,182 feet above sea level. The irregular rim of the crater is about a mile in circumference and the crater…

Average elevation: 7,201 ft

In the 1920s the Transcontinental Air Transport airline built an airfield in Fort Sumner as part of its coast-to-coast air passenger network, but the site was abandoned when the airline's ambitious plans collapsed in the Great Depression. The airfield was reopened by the United States Army Air Forces as a…

Average elevation: 4,075 ft

Average elevation: 6,299 ft

Average elevation: 4,426 ft

Average elevation: 4,603 ft

Sunspot is an unincorporated community in the Sacramento Mountains in the Lincoln National Forest in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, about 18 miles (29 km) south of Cloudcroft. Its elevation is 9,186 feet (2,800 m). The Sunspot Solar Observatory and Apache Point Observatory are located in Sunspot in…

Average elevation: 8,615 ft

Average elevation: 6,686 ft

Average elevation: 4,580 ft

Average elevation: 6,886 ft

Average elevation: 8,150 ft

Average elevation: 5,446 ft