Area Description

The Quebradas Complex is an area of unique landforms and rich archaeological history. It is located in central Socorro County and the highest ridges in the area represent the eastern skyline that can be seen from Socorro and Interstate 25. The Quebradas Backcountry Byway traverses this area, providing public access. This complex of wildlands is at the crossroads of the New Mexico landscape. Geographically, this is the northernmost distribution of Chihuahuan Desert shrub and cactus communities. This is also a transitional area where coniferous woodland covers a good portion of the landscape.

Prominent ridges of colorful rocks and cliffs, deep and rugged canyons, sand dunes, and multi-colored badlands make up a good part of the Quebradas landscape. Sierra Larga is the highest mountain in the area, topping out over 7,100 feet in elevation. Mesa Redonda is also included in this area. This feature is located in the northeastern portion of the complex and has steep escarpments that rise to a rolling, juniper-dotted tableland more than 1,000 feet off the desert floor. The prominent ridge of La Montonera, with its striking orange and buff-colored cliffs, is a watershed divide for the Quebradas area. Wilderness designation for this unit would protect the headwaters for much of the surrounding region. To the west, canyons drain in a fairly short distance to the Rio Grande, while those on the south and east drain into the closed basin of the Jornada del Muerto.

This area is frequently used as an outdoor laboratory for geology students at the nearby New Mexico Tech. The cliffs of Loma de las Cañas are composed of Pennsylvanian and Permian layers of shale, limestone, siltstone, sandstone, and gypsum. The geology of the area is also seen in the canyons that cross the area. Arroyos that originate in the Loma de Las Cañas unit slice through the prominent north-south ridge of layered limestone just to the west, then converge in the Precambrian rock outcrop in the middle of the Presilla unit and fan out again into the lower, more recent alluvial sediments sloping gently toward the Rio Grande. Several theses have been written on the structural geology, stratigraphy, and paleontology of this area.

Ecological Values

A diversity of habitats is found in this transitional landscape. The 415-acre cottonwood bosque on the Rio Grande flood plain in the Veranito unit is one of the largest publicly owned examples of this ecosystem type in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. Above the floodplain, in the western portion of the complex, are badland drainages and sandy flats covered with soaptree yucca, honey mesquite, Mormon tea, sand sage, fourwing saltbush, cholla, and grasses. Bunch grasses, creosote, and prickly pear cactus cover the alluvial hills. Grasses in the sandy areas include sand love grass, alkali sacaton, and New Mexico feathergrass. The Chihuahuan Desert's thornier natives, such as ocotillo, cover the abundant small rises and rocky ridges in the area, and small juniper trees dot the prominent ridges and canyons.

Sierra Larga, in the eastern part of the complex, ranges from pinyon-juniper woodland on the north and east to juniper dotted grasslands on the southwest. It is a virtual "sky island" in the surrounding desert landscape and provides important habitat for wildlife. The lower valleys of this area contain sandy soils that are dominated by Navajo tea and sand sage. Grasslands of blue grama, purple three awn, and wolftail are also found here. A few broom dalea add color to these areas with their fuchsia flowers and gray-green stems. This transition zone includes areas where pinyon pine, juniper, mountain mahogany, and other more mountainous plants are found along with desert species. The area is also habitat for two special-status plant species: Dalea scariosa and Amsonia fugatei.

The relatively lush arroyos in the western part of the complex also provide corridors through which wildlife can travel from desert areas east of Socorro to water along the Rio Grande. The Cibola Canyon, Sierra de las Cruz, and Veranito units also provide a biotic linkage to Sevilleta NWR to the north. The Loma de las Cañas unit itself contains seeps and springs that provide important water in a desert environment. The presence of mule deer, the proximity to the Rio Grande, and the abundance of canyons make this prime mountain lion country. Jackrabbits, numerous other small mammals, and quail provide a prey base for the many raptors, coyotes, and gray and kit fox that inhabit the area. Additional mammals here include bats and rock squirrels. Many birds have been observed here. The list includes raven, turkey vulture, great-horned owl, Swainson's hawk, red-tailed hawk, Cooper's hawk, prairie falcon, kestrel, hummingbird, dove, quail, red-shafted northern flicker, Western meadowlark, fox sparrow, western wood peewee, Virginia warbler, and other songbirds. The grassland areas are also historic habitat for Aplomado falcons. The mountainous areas of Loma de las Cañas and Sierra Larga provides especially good habitat for migrating falcons, including the peregrine falcon.

Scenic and Recreational Qualities

Prominent ridges in the Quebradas complex expose the varied and colorful geography of the region. Colors in the cliffs become especially intense at sunset. Broad vistas of the Rio Grande Valley from these ridges offer a panorama of mountain ranges on the horizon, from the Ladrones on the north to the San Mateos and San Andres on the south. Likewise, the open, lower elevation western portion of the area provides outstanding views of these ridges to the east.

Canyons also expose the varied and colorful geology of the region. Both Arroyo del Tajo and Arroyo de la Presilla have carved spectacular boxes in the Precambrian rock outcrop that traverses the Presilla unit. Slot canyons of varying color can also be found to the east in sedimentary rocks. Arroyo de Los Piños also has deep and scenic canyons.

In the southwest portion of the area are camel-orange sand dunes, deposits of ancient rivers. These wind-blown dunes are dotted with junipers and other vegetation, providing a pleasing contrast to other parts of the complex.

The high ridges in the eastern part of the complex make it the most prominent feature of the surrounding landscape. This makes the area an important viewshed for Socorro and communities along the Rio Grande.

This is a wonderful area to collect one's thoughts and enjoy the stillness and solitude of wilderness. The calm is only occasionally broken by the drone of commercial jets. Enduring quiet ensures that you will hear the music of birds singing in the trees. The vastness of the terrain leads you to feel that you are the only person around. There is a brilliant green cast from the creosote and a soft jade green from immature mesquite over the western portion of the area. The spidery ocotillos in bloom stand in contrast to the gracefully carved sandstone cliffs, which resemble that of the Colorado Plateau. One can just sit and enjoy the incredibly blue sky dotted with cumulus clouds creating a patchwork effect over the striking red rock escarpments

Recreational opportunities include studying the vegetation, photographing the striking rocks formations, examining unique geological and archeological features, and enjoying grand vistas. The area is also known for deer hunting. Rugged areas also provide outstanding opportunities for cross-country hiking and backpacking. Bird watching is also excellent, particularly for raptors that nest in the abundant cliffs in the area.

Special Management Areas

Four BLM Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) are found in this complex: Presilla, Loma de las Cañas, Stallion, and Veranito. The Presilla Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) has also been designated. In addition, the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is adjacent to the complex to the north.

Cultural Values

Though not all are well documented, over 100 cultural sites, dating back to 4,000 B. C., have been recorded within the Quebradas area. In the Presilla unit is the unique Arroyo del Tajo pictographs, consisting of over 75 figures painted on a sheltered wall in the canyon. These pictographs are unusual for the Southwest in that they depict a series of events. Eight cultural sites are recorded in the Loma de las Cañas unit. They consist of lithic scatters, one petroglyph site, and several stone structures, one of which is reported to have been a stage stop.

Access Information

There are three main access points to the Quebradas. For the west side, take exit 152 from I-25 and head north. At Escondida Lake, a small park about 2 miles up, go east across the Rio Grande. The road will fork amid some houses. The left fork will take you out toward Veranito and Sierra de la Cruz. The right fork will go south for about a mile to another fork with a sign announcing the Quebradas Backcountry Byway. As the name implies, this maintained dirt road takes you through the heart of the Quebradas, giving access to the Presilla, Presilla SE, Loma de las Cañas, and Padilla Gonzales units. The Byway comes out at Hwy 380.

About 2 miles north of Highway 380, the Byway joins another maintained dirt road that continues north, giving access to the east side of Loma de las Cañas, Stallion, La Montonera, the east side of Sierra de las Cruz, and Cibola Canyon.

The USGS 7.5 minute maps that cover this complex are Lemitar, Mesa del Yeso, Sierra de la Cruz, Sierra Larga North, Bishop Ranch, Sierra Larga South, Bustos Well, Loma de las Cañas, San Antonio, and Cañon Agua Buena.