The Big Hatchet Mountains are an 18 mi (29 km) long, mountain range in southeast Hidalgo County, New Mexico, adjacent the northern border of

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

state, Mexico. The range lies just south of a westerly excursion of the Continental Divide of the Americas; it lies on the eastern perimeter of the extensive, narrow, and north–south Playas Valley, and is the center range of three mostly arid, low to moderate-elevation ranges that lie on the valley's east perimeter. The mountain range lies in the extreme northwest of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Description

The range is long and only about wide. It trends northwest by southeast as does the

Alamo Hueco Mountains The Alamo Hueco Mountains are a long mountain range, located in the southeast of the New Mexico Bootheel region, southeast Hidalgo County, New Mexico, adjacent to the border of Chihuahua state, Mexico. The range lies near the southern end of th ...

to the south; the

Little Hatchet Mountains Little Hatchet Mountains is a mountain range in Hidalgo and Grant Counties, New Mexico. The range trends north and south between Hatchita Valley to the east and Playas Valley The Playas Valley is a lengthy and narrow 60-mi (97-km) long, valley l ...

bordering the range northwest, trend similarly, but have a more true north traverse.

Geology, ecology, and access

Geologically this range is part of the Basin and Range Province which spans much of the southwestern U.S. and parts of northern Mexico. It is a fault-block range made up of Paleozoic limestone and Cretaceous

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

and sandstones.Butterfield, Mike, and Greene, Peter, ''Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico'', New Mexico Magazine Press, 2006, Ecologically, the Big Hatchet Mountains lie near the Chihuahuan Desert and the Sonoran Desert, but their large relief provides many ecological niches more in keeping with the mountains to the north. Notable inhabitants include bats, raptors, bighorn sheep, and javelina. The Big Hatchet Mountains are far from population centers, and have no paved road access or developed recreation sites; they therefore see little recreational activity other than long-distance hikers who are either starting or completing the Continental Divide Trail. However, the standard route on the peak, along the South Ridge from Thompson Canyon, is straightforward.

Highpoints

The highest peak in the range,

Big Hatchet Peak Big Hatchet Peak is the high point of the Big Hatchet Mountains, a small but rugged range in the southwest corner (the "Bootheel") of New Mexico, in the United States. The mountains are located in southeast Hidalgo County, about southwest of De ...

, ,New Mexico, DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, p. 52-53. is at the northwest terminus of the range; the peak is located at .

Zeller Peak Zeller Peak is a mountain summit located in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. Description Zeller Peak is located at the northern end of the Big Hatchet Mountains which are set in the New Mexico Bootheel. It is set within the Big Hatche ...

is two miles north of Big Hatchet Peak. Another peak anchors the southeast terminus of the range, New Well Peak, at .

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

The

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

lies north of the Big Hatchet Mountains and traverses the northern Playas Valley on its

water divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...

. The

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail (CDT)) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico a ...

(CDT) is routed through the Big Hatchet's on two alternative trails, one at the center and the other in the north; also subtrails lead off in a southeasterly direction. The main traverse of the CDT exits from the southwest quarter of the range, to meet the northwest end of the

. Image:Big Hatchet Mountains.JPG, Big Hatchet Mountains from the northeast File:Sunrise Animas Mt..JPG, Sunrise on the Hatchet Mountains viewed from the southeast, on the CDT File:Big Hatchet Mountains WSA (9443330666).jpg, Example of the complex geology in the range from the Big Hatchet Mountains Wilderness Study Area

References

External links

Big Hatchet Peak at summitpost.org
(Climbing info, pictures)

* ttp://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=5301056 Big Hatchet Mountains, mountainzonebr>Greater Big Hatchet Complex
on nmwild.org {{Mountains of New Mexico Mountain ranges of New Mexico Mountain ranges of Hidalgo County, New Mexico New Mexico Bootheel Great Divide of North America