La Sierra Blanca

Wherever you find yourself in the San Luis Valley, you're likely within sight of La Sierra Blanca (Mt. Blanca). Considered a holy mountain and called "Sisnaajini" by the Navajos, the name has been translated as "white maid mountain." The snows on its massive ridges seem to persist even when the rest of the Sangre de Cristo range has melted bare. Just south of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and 14,435 feet in elevation, the unmistakable, massive form of La Sierra presides over the Valley like a benevolent lord.