The Peloncillo Mountains of Hidalgo County, (

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

''pelo'', hair, ''pelón'', hairless, bald; ''peloncillo'', Little Baldy), is a major long mountain range southwest of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

's Hidalgo County, and also part of the

New Mexico Bootheel The New Mexico Bootheel is a salient which comprises the southwestern corner of New Mexico. As part of the Gadsden Purchase it is bounded on the east by the Mexican state of Chihuahua along a line at extending south to latitude 31°20′0″N ...

region. The range continues to the northwest into Arizona as the Peloncillo Mountains of

Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city ...

. The extreme southwest corner of the range also lies in Arizona. It is a linear range bordering the linear

San Bernardino Valley The San Bernardino Valley ( es, Valle de San Bernardino) is a valley in Southern California located at the south base of the Transverse Ranges. It is bordered on the north by the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains; ...

of southeast Cochise County, Arizona. The Peloncillo Mountains lie in a region of southeast

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, southwest New Mexico, northeast

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

, and extreme northwest

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 ...

called the

Madrean Sky Islands The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are s ...

. They are tall mountain ranges isolated by surrounding flatlands and valleys with sky islands of isolated fauna and flora. Various corridors exist between some ranges; others are mostly isolated. Some ranges are lower elevation, with a reduced variety of habitats.

Description

The Peloncillo Mountains are mostly north-south trending, but curving northeasterly at the north end. They parallel the southwesterly-by-northeast

of Arizona, with various canyons and washes draining into the valley. Historical battles, and Indian Wars caused retreat into this mountain region; it was also access and escape routes into the safe haven ranges of northern Mexico. The highest peak is Gray Mountain at . The region is famous for Skeleton Canyon and the historical events that occurred there. The Baker Canyon Wilderness is located just south in the connected mountain range, the

Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains ( es, Sierra de Guadalupe) are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, bo ...

Gallery

File:Mt Baldy and Black Mountain Animas Valley.JPG, Mt Baldy and Black Mountain beyond Maternity Meadow from Animas Valley File:Gray Mountain.JPG, Gray Mountain from Animas Valley File:Antelope pass.jpg, North side of Antelope Pass through the Peloncillo Mountains from the San Simon Valley

References

Gray Mountain, Peakbagger

External links

*[http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1178&context=masters_theses Antelope Pass Study Area (central-northern Peloncillos of Hidalgo County) with geology explanations and some mountain/hillside photos] {{Authority control Mountain ranges of New Mexico Mountain ranges of Hidalgo County, New Mexico New Mexico Bootheel Mountain ranges of Cochise County, Arizona Mountain ranges of Arizona Madrean Sky Islands mountain ranges

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links