You might be surprised to learn about New Mexico’s mountain ranges, given its reputation as an arid desert. The Sangre de Cristo mountain range is actually the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains, and runs through both New Mexico and Colorado. The New Mexico part of the range contains the 13,161 ft Wheeler Peak, previously named Taos Peak for the nearby town.Snowy peaks aren’t the only mountains to be found in the state, either. New Mexico also has several volcanoes, including the shield volcanoes Mount Taylor and Sierra Grande, and the cinder cone Capulin Mountain. The Guadalupe mountain range, which runs through both New Mexico and Texas, has one of the most interesting backstoriesit’s the remains of a limestone reef from a dried-up sea.

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