This is by request: someone wanted to see more pictures of San Antonio Mountain, so I’ve been hunting for a few. So far these are what I’ve found, out of the thousands of pictures I’ve taken since moving to New Mexico.
Today’s telephoto view through autumn haze
Just now walked outside to take the above shot. And for the record, San Antonio Mountain is 10,908 ft. tall (3,325 m) and about 45 miles away from my location at the south end of Taos. It’s an extinct volcano, obviously, and the largest free-standing mountain in the United States. Perhaps that should be “tallest,” I’m not sure. You can find some references to the contrary, but the point is, it’s BIG.
Close-up taken from the base
Now there is a fine image. Just imagine the elk up there! When I took this, in fact, there were quite a few elk hunters in the back country. This shot doesn’t give you a sense of how huge the thing is, but you can see what it looks like up close.
As seen from the vicinity of our mailbox
It’s always on the horizon. Hell, where would it go? If I can dig up some more examples, I’ll post them, too. Anything to oblige! Just imagine that huge cinder cone as an active volcano, and be glad you weren’t around when it was doing its thing.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for the post. i have a folder absolutely brimming with all of the photos of the mountain that I could find online. In fact, I think that may have been how I found your site to begin with, in my initial search for photos. I may have found it through my other more esoteric google searches (i.e., counterculture, the occult, psychedelics, etc.), but more than likely it was a chance land on your fotofeed.
its sheer immensity is more obvious from a great distance, I think.
San Antonio is the biggest freestanding mountain in VOLUME, not height. So if you ground it up and put it bushel baskets to carry away, there would be a lot of them!
I was sure you were anxious to know this!
John
Well, that is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard of. Who measures mountains by volume??? Hah.
I suspect it may be the folks who want to make up some sort of bragging rights. I asked the guy who built/maintains the heywhatsthat site about the highest free-standing mountain in the US, and got a lecture about there not being an agreed upon definition for that term. Kilimanjaro is frequently refered to as the highest free-standing mountain in the world, but he insists that’s basically Kenyan PR.