Columbine–Hondo Wilderness is a

Wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

located within the

Carson National Forest Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers (1.5 million acres) and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. The area was added to the

National Wilderness Preservation System The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

on December 19, 2014 by Public Law 113-291. Located in the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains ) , country= United States , subdivision1_type= States , subdivision1= , parent= Rocky Mountains , geology= , orogeny= , area_mi2= 17193 , range_coordinates= , length_mi= 242 , length_orientation= north-south , width_mi= 120 , w ...

, this area contains the headwaters to the Rio Hondo and Red River as well as three peaks which rise to or above timberline. Elevations in the wilderness range from to at Gold Hill. The other principal summits of the wilderness area are Lobo Peak () and Flag Mountain (). The Colombine–Hondo Wilderness is separated from the

Wheeler Peak Wilderness The Wheeler Peak Wilderness lies in the Carson National Forest of New Mexico. It contains the highest point in the state, Wheeler Peak as well as Williams Lake. History Established as the Wheeler Peak Wild Area in 1960, the area was re-desig ...

to the south only by Highway 150 and the

Taos Ski Valley Taos Ski Valley is a village and alpine ski resort in the southwestern United States, located in Taos County, New Mexico. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. Until March 19, 2008, it was one of four ski resorts in America to prohibit sn ...

. The

Latir Peak Wilderness Latir Peak Wilderness is a wilderness area located within the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico, United States. Designated in 1980, the wilderness is composed of dense forest, meadows, and alpine tundra on Latir Mesa in the northern ...

is located north of Colombine-Hondo Wilderness. The wilderness has vegetation typical of the southern

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

with

Ponderosa Pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

and Pinyon forests at lower elevations, mixed

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s and

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

s at the middle elevations,

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

- fir forests at higher elevations, and alpine

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

above treeline.

History

Columbine–Hondo was designated a wilderness study area by congress in 1980. In April 2012, Senator

Jeff Bingaman Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1983 to 2013, for 5 terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Chairman of Committee Outreac ...

unsuccessfully introduced a bill (S.2468) to designate the area as wilderness. The bill (S.776) was re-introduced by Senators

Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor Heinrich (; born October 17, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the U.S. ...

and

Tom Udall Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, lawyer and politician serving as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from N ...

in April 2013 followed by an identical house bill (H.R.1683) introduced by Representative

Ben Ray Luján Ben Ray Luján ( ; born June 7, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from New Mexico since 2021. He served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2021 and the assistant House Democratic leader ...

. The bill was signed into law on December 19th, 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Carson National Forest Wilderness areas of New Mexico Protected areas of Taos County, New Mexico Protected areas established in 2014 2014 establishments in New Mexico