As indicated by its name, the Headwaters region is the highest and wettest in the state, with the Rio Grande, Rio Chama, Red, Santa Fe, Pecos, Jemez, and Canadian rivers flowing through it. These rivers are vital corridors for fish and wildlife, as well as water supplies for human communities.

This region is a unique blend of Anglo, Spanish and Native American cultures and their collective histories. Native American peoples that occupied this region during various periods include Plains Indians, nomadic Navajos and Apaches, mountain-dwelling Utes, and Puebloan peoples. While some pueblos survive in this region today, other cultures have left behind a rich archeological record of their occupancy.

The southern terminus of the Rocky Mountain chain is the predominant feature of the region and is comprised of the Sangre de Cristo, Santa Fe and Jemez Mountains. These high elevation mountains contain alpine summits, glacier-carved valleys, pine and spruce-fir forests, aspen groves and meadows filled with grasses and colorful wildflowers. The habitats of these high elevation mountains support an abundance of wildlife, including black bear, cougar, martin, beaver, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and a host of aquatic and avian species.

The region also encompasses lower elevation habitats with semi-arid grasslands and shrublands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and riparian ecosystems.  These landscapes also support many animals including mountain lion, elk, deer, pronghorn, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, and dozens of migratory songbirds.

The region's geology is also rich and varied. Rugged and deep basalt-walled gorges, colorful ash-flow badlands, shield volcanoes, and calderas offer a glimpse of the region's dramatic volcanic history. In contrast, the colorful rimrock and sandstone canyons in the region mark a time when parts of the area were covered in a shallow sea.

Although wilderness designation has helped protect this region's high country, the entire spectrum of wild landscapes that exist in northern New Mexico should be represented in the National Wilderness Preservation System.