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Jemez Mountains Study Area
Including Los Alamos, New Mexico

The Jemez Mountains is a 1,300 square mile range with peaks ranging between 9,000 to 11,000 feet. Los Alamos is located in the mountains of North Central New Mexico, about 90 miles north of Albuquerque, 35 miles NW of Santa Fe, and 55 miles SW of Taos. The population of Los Alamos County is about 18,000. Nearly 12,000 people live in Los Alamos, and the other 6,000 live in the nearby communities of White Rock and Jemez Springs Village. The city of Los Alamos is located at an elevation of 7,355 feet.

The Jemez Mountain range is isolated from the Southern Rocky Mountains by the Rio Grande valley, and as such, possesses a number of unique species. Furthermore, the Jemez Mountains support a number of ecosystems due to the great elevation range and the variety of soil types and climatic regimes. There are 870, 395 acres in the Jemez range. 78.3% is federally administered, 21.4% is privately owned, and 0.3% is state-owned.

There is much variation in the Santa Fe National Forest because of the differences in elevation and rainfall. In the warmer and drier areas, the forest communities consist of sparse pinyon and juniper trees. At higher levels, the pinyon-juniper is replaced by ponderosa pine, and above these communities, Douglas fir, blue spruce, limber pine, and white fir, can be found. These communities are often referred to as 'mixed conifer'. Above these communities, at 8,500 to 9,000 feet, is the Canadian life zone. Here can be found spruce and sub-alpine fir communities. The spruce becomes dwarfed above 10,000 feet due to the harshness of the weather. This is the Hudsonian life zone.

Climate

Average Precipitation: 19 inches (46 inches snow)
Average High/Low Winter Temperature(F): 41/20
Average High/Low Summer Temperature(F): 79/54

Fire History

Map of fire boundaries and stats for major fires can be found on the Fire History page.

Land Use

Make your own version of this map using our Dynamic Fire History Map tool for the Jemez Mountains.