San Juan Mountains
| San Juan Mountains | ||
|---|---|---|
| Highest peak | Uncompahgre Peak ( 4361 m ) | |
| location | New Mexico , Colorado (USA) | |
| part of | Rocky mountains | |
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| Coordinates | 38 ° 4 ′ N , 107 ° 28 ′ W | |
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The San Juan Mountains ( English San Juan Mountains ) is a rugged mountain range of the Rocky Mountains . It extends from the northern part of the US state of New Mexico for more than 250 km in an arc shape to the southwestern part of Colorado . The mountains are of volcanic origin and rich in minerals (see also La Garita Caldera ).
The southern end of the San Juan Mountains is located in the New Mexican administrative district of Rio Arriba on the Abiquiu Reservoir , a small reservoir of the Rio Chama - around 80 km from the federal border with Colorado and around 130 km north of the city of Albuquerque . The Rio Chama separates it in the south from the San Pedro Mountains , while in the east the Rio Grande ( Rio Bravo ) and the San Luis Valley form the border with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains . The part of the mountain range located in New Mexico is a densely forested mountain range that has been declared Carson National Forest and rarely reaches a height of more than 3,000 meters. The highest mountains are all in Colorado; at the top Uncompahgre Peak (4,361 m), Mount Wilson (4,342 m) and Mount Sneffels (4,312 m). On around 50 km, however, there is one peak after the other and rarely 4,200 meters are undercut.
The center of the San Juan Mountains - mainly declared to be the San Juan National Forest - offers a very diverse appearance. It mainly consists of a densely forested mountain region with many small rivers and lakes that attract campers, hikers and water sports enthusiasts alike. In many places in the eastern part, northwest of the San Luis Valley , the San Juan chain presents itself in its valleys as a desert-like mountainous landscape.
