Wender·Vista
Wheeler Peak
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew Mexico · United States
in the Sangre de Cristo range, above Taos

Wheeler Peak

— — the roof of New Mexico, in thin air.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The highest point in New Mexico, on the south end of the Rocky Mountains. The trail up from Taos Ski Valley climbs through aspen and spruce into bare alpine tundra. Marmots whistle from the rocks. The summit register sits in a small steel cylinder; the wind moves it before you can sign. From the studio.

from the studio
Wheeler Peak
— bring it home

Wheeler Peak, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Wheeler Peak

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Wheeler Peak rises to 13,167 feet (4,013 metres) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost spine of the Rockies. It sits inside the Wheeler Peak Wilderness, a 19,150-acre area within Carson National Forest, east of the town of Taos. The mountain is named for George M. Wheeler, the army surveyor who mapped the American Southwest in the 1870s. The most common approach is the Bull-of-the-Woods trail from Taos Ski Valley, a strenuous day hike that gains around 3,500 feet.

— the air

Above about 11,500 feet the forest gives way to alpine tundra, the same biological zone that runs along the high crests of Colorado. Yellow-bellied marmots and pikas hold the rockfields; bristlecone and bighorn sheep keep to the saddles. Weather builds fast in summer afternoons, and lightning is the practical hazard hikers plan around. Most parties leave Williams Lake before dawn to reach the summit and start back down by noon, before the first cell builds over the Truchas peaks to the south.

— the season

The standard hiking window runs late June through early October, after the snow melts off the upper bowl and before it returns. July and August are the wildflower months in the basin below Williams Lake, with elephant-head and alpine paintbrush among the rocks. The road from Taos to the trailhead climbs through Hondo Canyon and is open year-round, though the upper trail is a winter mountaineering route from November on. Carson National Forest does not require a permit for day hikes.

— where
United States · Taos County, New Mexico
— within
Carson National Forest
— elevation
4,013 m · 13,167 ft
— position
36.5569° N · 105.4169° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
24 km W
Taos
town
6 km W
Taos Ski Valley
village
2 km SW
Williams Lake
alpine lake
N
Wheeler Peak
Taos
Taos Ski Valley
Williams Lake
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Wheeler Peak — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Wheeler Peak rises to 13,167 feet, or 4,013 metres. It is the highest point in New Mexico and the southern anchor of the Sangre de Cristo range, the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains.

The mountain sits in Taos County, New Mexico, inside the Wheeler Peak Wilderness within Carson National Forest. The standard approach starts at Taos Ski Valley, about a fifteen-mile drive northeast of the town of Taos.

It carries the name of George Montague Wheeler, the U.S. Army officer who led the Wheeler Survey of the American West between 1872 and 1879. His teams produced the first detailed topographic maps of much of the Southwest.

The Williams Lake route is around eight miles round trip with about 3,500 feet of elevation gain. Most fit hikers take six to nine hours. The thin air above 12,000 feet is the limiting factor for visitors from lower elevations.

Late June through early September is the standard window. Afternoon thunderstorms build almost daily in July and August, so most parties start before sunrise to be off the summit by noon.

— about the piece in your home

It travels well to anyone who has hiked out of Taos Ski Valley or who keeps the Sangre de Cristos in their seasonal memory. The Small with a handwritten note from the studio carries the gesture without needing wall space.

The piece sits well in Mountain-modern, Southwestern-modern, and earthy Minimalist rooms. The alpine blues read cool against adobe-warm walls and against natural oak, walnut, or weathered pine.

Mountain-modern interiors have held steady through the last several seasons, and high-country scenes pair naturally with the warm-stone palettes Southwestern designers have been pulling back into rotation.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural sits comfortably. Above a console or a fireplace mantel, the 9-tile Mural anchors the wall; a single Medium works for narrower hall walls.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or steamy room. Both are scratch-resistant and built for vertical installation in showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are enough. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface, so it will not lift with normal cleaning. Skip abrasive pads and harsh solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reid curates the atlas and chooses each place. We do not license outside artwork.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

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