Sangre de Cristo Range

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Sangre de Cristo Range
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Range seen from Hardscrabble Pass.
Highest point
Peak	Blanca Peak
Elevation	14,345 ft (4,372 m)
Coordinates	37°34′38″N 105°29′7″W / 37.57722°N 105.48528°W / 37.57722; -105.48528
Dimensions
Length	75 mi (121 km) north-south
Width	48 mi (77 km) east-west
Area	1,250 sq mi (3,200 km2)
Naming
Etymology	Sangre de Cristo Spanish: Blood of Christ
Geography
Sangre de Cristo Range
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Counties	Chaffee, Fremont, Custer, Saguache and Huerfano
Parent range	Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Rocky Mountains
Borders on	San Luis Valley and Arkansas River watershed
Geology
Orogeny	Fault-block mountains
Age of rock	Precambrian and Permian-Pennsylvanian

The Sangre de Cristo Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado in the United States, running north and south along the east side of the Rio Grande Rift. The mountains extend southeast from Poncha Pass for about 75 mi (121 km) through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass, approximately 20 mi (32 km) west of Walsenburg, and form a high ridge separating the San Luis Valley on the west from the watershed of the Arkansas River on the east. The Sangre de Cristo Range rises over 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above the valleys and plains to the west and northeast.

According to the USGS, the range is the northern part of the larger Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which extend through northern New Mexico. Usage of the terms "Sangre de Cristo Range" and "Sangre de Cristo Mountains" is varied; however, this article discusses only the mountains between Poncha Pass and La Veta Pass.