Raton Mesa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raton Mesa (Mesa de Maya) |
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| Location | Las Animas County, Colorado, United States |
| Designated: | 1967 |
Raton Mesa is a cool name for a group of flat-topped mountains, called mesas. These amazing landforms are found in the states of New Mexico and Colorado. They stretch for about 90 miles (145 km) along the border between these two states. Some of the well-known mesas here include Johnson Mesa, Mesa de Maya, and Black Mesa.
The highest point of Raton Mesa is Fishers Peak, located in Las Animas County, Colorado. This special area, covering about 4,183 acres (17 square kilometers), was named a National Natural Landmark in 1967. Raton mesas were formed by volcanoes! Hot lava flows hardened into a tough rock called basalt. Over time, the softer rock around the basalt wore away, leaving these distinct, high, flat-topped areas with steep sides.
Raton Mesa is also part of the Raton Basin. This area is known for having lots of coal and natural gas.
Exploring Raton Mesa's Landscape
The Interstate Highway 25 goes through Raton Pass. This pass, which is 7,834 feet (2,388 meters) high, separates the mountains to the west from the mesa country to the east. For this article, Raton Mesa means the area east of Interstate 25. It's located between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton, New Mexico. This area is about 19 miles (31 km) from south to north. It also stretches east for about 13 miles (21 km).
Inside this area, there are three main mesas. Deep canyons separate them.
- Fishers Peak Mesa is in Colorado. It reaches a height of 9,633 feet (2,936 meters).
- Bartlett Mesa is mostly in New Mexico. Its highest point is 8,900 feet (2,713 meters).
- Barela/Horseshoe/Horse Mesa sits right on the border of Colorado and New Mexico. It goes up to 8,757 feet (2,669 meters).
The land at the bottom of these mesas is already quite high, usually 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) or more.
Plants and Animals of Raton Mesa
The flat tops of the mesas are mostly covered in grassland. However, their steep sides are full of trees. You'll find many ponderosa pine trees here. At higher elevations, there are also quaking aspen, Douglas fir, and white fir trees. Lower down, you can see pinyon, juniper, and Gambel oak trees.
Many cool animals live on Raton Mesa! You might spot black bears and mountain lions. There are also mule deer and beavers. One of the most common animals is the elk. You can often see large groups of elk, sometimes more than 100 at once! Hunting, especially for elk, is a popular activity during certain times of the year. This happens on both public and private lands.
Visiting Raton Mesa
There are no public roads that go all the way to the top of these mesas. The only public road that enters this area goes through Sugarite Canyon State Park in New Mexico. This road stops shortly after it crosses into Colorado. It reaches an altitude of 7,560 feet (2,304 meters).
This road helps people get to three public areas on Raton Mesa:
- Sugarite Canyon State Park in New Mexico, which is 3,600 acres (15 square kilometers).
- Lake Dorothey State Wildlife Area in Colorado, which is 5,152 acres (21 square kilometers).
- James M. John State Wildlife Area in Colorado, which is 8,339 acres (34 square kilometers).
From the parking area at Lake Dorothey, the top of Fisher's Peak is about eight miles away in a straight line. There isn't a marked trail, so it's a challenging hike.
A large part of the Colorado section of Raton Mesa, including Fisher's Peak, used to be a private property called the Crazy French Ranch. But in 2019, this huge 19,200-acre (7,770-hectare) ranch was bought to become a new Colorado state park! The money to buy the ranch came from several groups working together. These included Great Outdoors Colorado (which gets money from the Colorado Lottery), The Nature Conservancy, and The Trust for Public Land.
