Crestone,
the Baca Grande and Moffat are located in eastern Saguache County, which
is within Colorado's San Luis Valley. The San Luis Valley is the largest
intermountain valley in the world, with a nearly flat floor covering 1,766,000
acres and an elevation of 7,650 feet.
The eastern boundary of the Valley is formed by the Sangre de Cristo
mountains. This mountain range begins in the Valley and extends south
for 300 miles, ending 60 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
Valley is bordered by the Continental Divide on the northwest and by
the New Mexico state line on the south.
The San Juan mountain range constitutes the western border of the Valley.
These mountains are less steep, densely wooded, and highly used for
winter and summer recreation, as well as for some minor cattle grazing.
The two mountain ranges merge to the north at Poncha Pass; large portions
of both of these ranges are protected National Forest lands.
These
high mountain ranges stay snow-capped until July and provide the abundant
water supply that feeds the Valley's agriculture. The melting snow creates
numerous mountain streams that support paradises of aspens, ponderosa
pines and blue spruce plus a large variety of wild berries that feed
the many deer, elk, bear and other wildlife that thrive in these areas.
With the sun shining through the shimmering aspen leaves and reflecting
on the blue-green grasses and sparkling clear mountain streams, one
can easily get a feel for the beauty and grandeur of the 8,194 square
miles of Colorado's San Luis Valley. To put its size in perspective,
the San Luis Valley is about the same size as the state of Massachusetts;
Saguache County alone is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
The
Valley is divided into six counties (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral,
Rio Grande and Saguache) with each county having a county seat. These
county seats, in these cases, are also the largest incorporated cities
in the counties. Many of the residents of the Valley live in unincorporated
areas.
The nearest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area is Denver. Albuquerque,
New Mexico is a four hour drive to the south. The nearest urban area
is Pueblo, which is 2 1/2 hours away.
|