| Gold Hill | |
| Elevation Ft: | 12716 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 1811 |
| Prominence Ref: | [3] |
| Isolation Mi: | 6.34 |
| Parent Peak: | Wheeler Peak |
| Listing: | Mountains of New Mexico Highest major summits of the US |
| Map: | New Mexico#USA |
| Label Position: | right |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Columbine–Hondo Wilderness |
| Country: | United States of America |
| State: | New Mexico |
| Region: | Taos |
| Region Type: | County |
| Range: | Taos Mountains Sangre de Cristo Mountains Rocky Mountains |
| Coordinates: | 36.6431°N -105.4558°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Red River |
| Easiest Route: | hiking trail |
Gold Hill is a 12716adj=midNaNadj=mid mountain summit in Taos County, New Mexico, United States.
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.[1] [3] 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 1700abbr=offNaNabbr=off 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.[5] This mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[4] and the name refers to gold mining that took place here in the late 1800s.[6]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gold Hill has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[7] 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.