Lake Fork Peak

Lake Fork Peak is a 12881 ft mountain summit in Taos County, New Mexico, United States.

Description
Lake Fork Peak is part of the Taos Mountains which are a subset of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is the second-highest point in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and ranks as the sixth-highest summit in New Mexico. The mountain is located within the Carson National Forest, 12 miles northeast of the town of Taos and 1.24 miles west-southwest of Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to the Rio Hondo which is a tributary the Rio Grande. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2900 ft above the South Fork Rio Hondo in less than one mile (1.6 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, and the name refers to Lake Fork which is a creek that originates between this peak and Wheeler Peak. The peak has also been known as Fairview Mountain.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Lake Fork Peak 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 north of Lake Fork Peak.