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Geology: Blue Hole, Carlsbad Cavern, Chuska Mountains, Manzanos Mountains, Membres, Rio Grande Gorge, Rio Grande, Rio Puerco, Sacramentos Mountains, Sangre de Christo Mountains, San Mateo Mountains, Ship Rock, Pecos, Valles Caldera National Preserve, White Sands, Zuni Mountains

Chuska Mountains

Northwest region of New Mexico The Chuska Mountains are an elongate range on the Colorado Plateau and within the Navajo Nation. The range is about 80 by 15 km (50 by 10 miles), and it trends north-northwest and is crossed by the state line between Arizona and New Mexico. The highlands are a dissected plateau, with an average elevation of about 2700 meters (about 8900 feet), and relatively subdued topography. The highest point is Roof Butte (36°28' N, 109°6' W) at 2982 meters (9783 feet), near the northern end of the range in Arizona. Other high points include the satellite Beautiful Mountain at 2861 meters (9388 feet) and Lukachukai Mountains at 2885 meters (9466 feet), both also near the northern end, and Matthews Peak at 2911 meters (9550 feet). The San Juan Basin borders the Chuskas on the east, and typical elevations in nearby parts of that basin are near 1800 meters (about 5900 feet). The eastern escarpment of the mountains is marked by slumps and landslides that extend out onto the western margin of the San Juan Basin. To the north, the Chuskas are separated from the Carrizo Mountains by Red Rock Valley.

Much of the range is Navajo Nation Forest, and ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir are among the important tree varieties. Trees there were cut and transported more than 75 km (about 50 miles) to the east to construct pueblos in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in the San Juan Basin as early as 974 A.D. Logging in the mountains continues today, with attendant environmental controversies.

The forests of the Chuska Mountains and of the Defiance Uplift receive higher rainfall than the surrounding lowlands, and these highlands typically generate more than half the surface water of the Navajo Nation. Canyons of Canyon de Chelly National Monument were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuskas.

The Chuska Mountains are sparsely populated. Nearby settlements are small, and they include Crystal, New Mexico, and Lukachukai, Arizona, to the west and Toadlena, New Mexico, to the east. Trading posts at Crystal and at Two Grey Hills (about 10 km east of Toadlena), are associated with distinctive patterns used in Navajo rugs. A paved road, New Mexico Highway 134, crosses the range through Narbona Pass. Narbona Pass was formerly named Washington Pass, after Colonel John M. Washington, who commanded a military expedition against the Navajo. Narbona was a Navajo headman killed in an encounter with Washington's troops in 1849.