Over time the softer sedimentary rock surrounding the basalt eroded leaving several distinct large, elevated tablelands with precipitous sides.

[1] The Raton Mesas begin at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west and extend eastward for 90 miles (140 km) along the Colorado-New Mexico border to the Oklahoma panhandle.

Interstate Highway 25 through Raton Pass, 7,834 feet (2,388 m) in elevation, separates the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west from the mesa country on the east.

Mammal species include American black bear, cougar, mule deer, beaver, and especially elk which are seen in herds of more than 100 individuals.

[6] From the parking area at Lake Dorothey, the summit of Fisher's Peak is a straight-line distance of about eight miles by an unmarked trail.