This content is part of What Fuels You: An Electric Roadtrip!

Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge is located in south-central Colorado in the San Luis Valley. The valley is a high mountain basin, sitting at 7,800 feet. It extends over 100 miles north to south and over 50 miles east to west.

The valley is surrounded by the Sangre de Christo, San Juan, and Saguache mountain ranges. Sangre de Christo, meaning Blood of Christ, got its name from Spanish explorers who observed the red glow of the mountains at sunset.