Gold Hill (New Mexico)

Gold Hill is a 12716 ft mountain summit in Taos County, New Mexico, United States.

Description
Gold Hill is part of the Taos Mountains which are a subset of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is the highest point in the Columbine–Hondo Wilderness and ranks as the 11th-highest summit in New Mexico. The mountain is located within the Carson National Forest, 18.5 miles north-northeast of the town of Taos and 6.5 miles north-northwest of Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to Red River and Rio Hondo which are tributaries the Rio Grande. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 1700 ft in 0.75 mile (1.2 km). An ascent of the peak involves 3,261 feet of elevation gain over 10.6 miles (round-trip) of hiking the Gold Hill Trail which crosses over the summit. This mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, and the name refers to gold mining that took place here in the late 1800s.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gold Hill has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August. This climate supports the Taos Ski Valley area immediately south of Gold Hill.