On Walkabout On: New Mexico’s Snowy Sierra Blanca Peak
About two hours north of El Paso is the nearly 12,000 foot peak of Sierra Blanca located near the charming village of Ruidoso:
This scenic mountain is part of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and is considered holy ground by the Native Americans. From Ruidoso there is a twisting road that takes visitors to the Ski Apache Ski Resort that is owned by the Indian Reservation:
However, my wife and I didn’t drive up here to go skiing. We just drove up here to the overlook that provides some stunning views of the surrounding mountains, to include the impressive Sierra Blanca Peak:
In Spanish Sierra Blanca means the white mountain and in the winter time Sierra Blanca definitely lives up to its name. From elevated area all the way in El Paso which is over a 100 miles away this great white mountain can be seen on clear days. From the lookout looking towards the east the the Capitan Mountains are easily visible:
Here is a closer look at the Capitan Mountains, which are famous as the mountain range where the legend of Smoky Bear began:
Looking towards the southeast the various peaks of the Sacramento Mountains opened up in front of us:
Down below in all those pine trees and snow is the village of Ruidoso:
My wife and I had a great day out and really enjoyed all the snow up in the Sacramento Mountains.
Share this:
About The Author
Dobbs
I am a avid hiker with a love for travel and the outdoors. I currently call the Evergreen State of Washington my home.
On a clear day you can see Sierra Blanca from the top of Guadalupe peak. I actually have a picture of the snowy peak in the far distance taken from the summit of Guadalupe peak.
It is incredible how far away this mountain can be seen on clear days. I was flying back to El Paso recently from Dallas and I wish I had brought my camera because the view from the airplane of the peak was just incredible.