Alamo Canyon Ranch Pin-Up Photos!

On Saturday, November 7, Andrew Crawford took photos of the ranch for me, while he and his brother were hunting.  The photos here are all copyright 2015 - Andrew Crawford.  Reproduction in any form without his permission is forbidden.

Yes, that is snow you see on the distant mountains. 

Climate

Like every other place in New Mexico, Alamo Canyon Ranch can be windy.  When on the peaks, it's worse.  The location is idea of for wind power, and would make an excellent wind farm. 

The climate zone is semi-arid within a  transition of high desert foothills to mountain land. Average annual precipitation is 14 inches to include snow. 

Most days are full sun with clear star bright nights.   The sky at night is amazingly clear, to the point where you think you are watching a science fiction movie.  It is perfect for astronomy.

Temperatures are mild seldom exceeding the mid 90s for summer highs with pleasant cool night temperatures. Winter night temperatures will fall below 32F from November through March with day time temperatures typically rising into the pleasant 50s and 60s. 

The climate is ideal for year round outdoor activity.

During the summer, it can be attacked by fierce electrical storms.  One of the drawbacks of being within the canyon during a storm is that there is no place to hide from lightening.  In 2011, a lightening strike fueled one of the worst fires in the county's history.  As in anywhere in the desert Southwest, be well aware of run-off, and flash floods.  There is a location near the entry, a creek, which regularly overflows, obscuring the main canyon road.  In the summer of 2014, the canyon and vicinity received 8 inches of rain in less than an hour.

It is beautiful in the snow.

 

Topography

Photo from Hwy 70 of ridge where Alamo Canyon Ranch connects.

Alamo Canyon is mountainous.  It is located in the Sacramento Mountains of Lincoln County.  Some of the terrain is up and down, with amazing views.  One portion of the 'front' of the property, overlooks Highway 70, in San Patricio.  The photo was taken from my parents' back yard.  The ridge for Alamo Canyon Ranch is on the other side of the apple tree on the far left.  It gives an excellent idea of what the terrain looks like, on the other side of things.   The views from the canyon side of things are amazing.

 

USGS Identification Number:      903042 

"U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Phase I data compilation (1976-1981). 31-Dec-1981. Primarily from U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000-scale topographic maps (or 1:25K, Puerto Rico 1:20K) and from U.S. Board on Geographic Names files. In some instances, from 1:62,500 scale or 1:250,000 scale maps."

Alamo Canyon Ranch is located within the Wahalee Canyon area. 

There are no subsurface  mineral rights for Alamo Canyon Ranch.  The ranch is checker-boarded with available below-surface rights, but there are no apparent worth-while minerals on the property.  This is one of the few areas in the state that has not been properly explored for geology.