Unit 56

Except for the Chico Hills, the edges of some wide, low mesas, and a few mountains that are mostly solitary and conical, this unit is flat to rolling grasslands with low hills and draws cutting across the desert. The boundaries are the roads between Raton and Clayton, Raton and Springer, and Springer and Clayton. Lowlands range from about 5,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level and are dry and open and are mostly private grazing lands separated by barbed wire fences. Most of the mountains are in the northern half. Laughlin Peak at 8,818 feet in elevation is the highest point and is south of U.S. Highway 64 about halfway between Raton and Des Moines. It is the largest shield volcano in the inactive Raton-Clayton volcanic field and rises 2,200 feet above the surrounding plain. It is northeast of 8,110-foot-high Turkey Mountain and many lower and timbered hills that are farther west. Sierra Grande at 8,720 feet in elevation is just south of Des Moines near U.S. 64. Other dominant cones include 7,805-foot Tinaja Mountain, 7,761-foot Eagle Tail Mountain, 7,876-foot Green Mountain, and Pine Butte West and Pine Butte East, which both are more than 8,400 feet above sea level. Most of the mountains rise steeply from the flats below.