Santa Fe Nat Forest

31 January 2010

Santa Fe National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service in northern New Mexico. It consists of five administrative units divided into two main areas, one north of Santa Fe and one near Los Alamos, and includes the Pecos Wilderness and San Pedro Parks Wilderness, wild, roadless areas popular with hikers. The national forest includes many of New Mexico's highest mountains, although the very highest are in Carson National Forest immediately to the north. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the eastern (Santa Fe) part of the forest, while the western (Los Alamos) part includes much of the Jemez Mountains. Elevations range from about 5300' (1600 meters) up to 13,102' (3993 meters) at the summit of Truchas Peak.

The forest is predominantly coniferous, with piñon/juniper "scrub" at the lowest elevations that gives way to ponderosa pines mid-range and spruce/fir forest higher up. Aspens are intermixed with the conifers above about 8000' (2400 meters) and provide additional color, particularly in fall. Timberline is unusually high at 11,500'/3500 meters or even higher. Many of the higher peaks are veritable gardens of alpine wildflowers once the snow has melted.

Black bear and deer are common throughout the forest. The eastern unit contains bighorn sheep (some of which have become so used to human presence as to constitute a camp pest), and a substantial elk population splits time between the western unit (and the Valles Caldera National Preserve) in summer and Bandelier National Monument in winter. Mountain lions live in the forest but are rarely encountered. Birds are plentiful and diverse, including eagles, wild turkeys, and several species of hummingbirds. Most of the terrain is too high for snakes to be abundant, although rattlesnakes are occasionally seen as high as Pajarito Ski Area near Los Alamos, elevation 9500' (2900 m). Watercourses tend to be small and seasonal, so that there are few large fish, although some lakes and streams are able to sustain a population of trout. Wiki