Near Taos in Taos County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Wheeler Peak
13,161 Feet Above Sea Level
| | Highest Point in New Mexico | |
Photographed by Jamie Cox, September 1, 1992
1. Wheeler Peak Marker
Named in honor of Major George Montague Wheeler (1832-1909) who for ten years led a party of surveyors and Naturalists collecting geologic, biologic, planimetric, and topographic data in New Mexico and six other southwestern states.
Erected by Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Exploration • Science & Medicine.
Location. 36° 33.405′ N, 105° 25.017′ W. Marker is near Taos, New Mexico, in Taos County. It can be reached from Twining-Blue Lake Back Pack Trail south of County Road 79. The marker is at the top of the 13,161 foot mountain, far from any road. It is accessible only by foot trail. The trail is rugged, cold, dangerous, windy and remote. Don't go up there unless fully prepared. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Taos Ski Valley NM 87525, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico. It is also in the American Southwest and in the Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Elizabethtown (approx. 8.4 miles away); a different marker also named Wheeler Peak (approx. 8.4 miles away); Eagle Nest Lake State Park (approx. 10.1 miles away); Vietnam Veterans National Memorial (approx.
this page online
Photographed by Jamie Cox, September 1, 1992
2. Wheeler Peak Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,501 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 30, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 2. submitted on December 19, 2011, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
