| McKnight Mountain | |
|---|---|
  McKnight Mountain Location in New Mexico | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 10,165 ft (3,098 m) [1] |
| Prominence | 2,525 ft (770 m) [1] |
| Coordinates | 33°03′07″N107°51′01″W / 33.052016°N 107.8503149°W Coordinates: 33°03′07″N107°51′01″W / 33.052016°N 107.8503149°W [2] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sierra / Grant counties, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Parent range | Black Range |
| Topo map | USGS Victorio Park |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Trail hike |
McKnight Mountain is the highest peak in the Black Range of southwestern New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. It is located about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Silver City, in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness of the Gila National Forest.
The Black Range is an igneous mountain range running north-south in Sierra and Grant counties in west-central New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Its central ridge forms the western and eastern borders, respectively, of the two counties through much of their contact. The range is about 55 miles (88 km) long from north to south and up to 18 miles (29 km) wide. The highest point is McKnight Mountain. The Black Range lies almost entirely within the Gila National Forest. The Mimbres River originates from the mountain snow pack and run-off. The Mimbres Mountains, the southernmost part of the range, are usually included as part of the Black Range.
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital and cultural center is Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona; its other neighboring states are Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east-southeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest. With a population around two million, New Mexico is the 36th state by population. With a total area of 121,592 sq mi (314,920 km2), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer, arid climate.
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. In 2015 the population was estimated to be 10,004.
The mountain is topped by a flat ridge running roughly north–south for about one-half mile; the north and south ends of the ridge are both listed at 10,165 feet. The mountain is forested up to near its summit, which is rocky and provides panoramic views. Its west slopes are the headwaters of the East Fork of the Mimbres River, which flows through McKnight Canyon, and its northwest slopes also feed into the Mimbres. The east side is drained by Las Animas Creek, which flows into the Rio Grande at Caballo Lake. While the Continental Divide runs along much of the Black Range, McKnight Mountain is not on the divide itself, which separates from the crest of the Black Range at Red Peak a few miles to the north.
The Mimbres is a 91-mile-long (146 km) river in southwestern New Mexico. It forms from snow pack and runoff on the south-western slopes of the Black Range at 33°06′58″N107°51′04″W in Grant County. It flows southward into a small endorheic basin east of Deming, New Mexico in Luna County. The uplands watershed are administered by the US Forest Service, while the land in the Mimbres Valley is mostly privately owned. The upper reaches of the river are perennial. The river flows south from the Black Range and the surface flow of the river dissipates in the desert north of Deming, but the river bed and storm drainage continue eastward, any permanent flow remaining underground. The Mimbres River Basin has an area of about 13,000 km² (5,140 mi²) and extends slightly into northern Chihuahua.
The Rio Grande is one of the principal rivers in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. The Rio Grande begins in south-central Colorado in the United States and flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, it forms part of the Mexico–United States border. According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, its total length was 1,896 miles (3,051 km) in the late 1980s, though course shifts occasionally result in length changes. Depending on how it is measured, the Rio Grande is either the fourth- or fifth-longest river system in North America.
Caballo Lake is a reservoir on the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, United States. It is the fourth largest reservoir in New Mexico in terms of surface area and the fifth largest body of water in New Mexico in terms of volume. The lake is in Caballo Lake State Park, which is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of Truth or Consequences.
McKnight Mountain is accessible via several trails. One is Trail 79, which runs along the crest of the Black Range, with a trailhead about 5 miles (8 km) south of the peak, located near McKnight Cabin at the end of Forest Road 152. Another, Trail 82, approaches the peak from the west through McKnight Canyon.
