I would argue that if you want desert and elevation, you will do far better in New Mexico than you will the Angeles national forest. On the other hand, what hiking I did in Arizona was legit French Foreign Legion shit.
Well I just closed about eight tabs on my browser at work about New Mexico mountains. I should probably do some actual work.
The first reverse image search hit on that is a website protesting a power line. That might be a perfect location. I'll have to see what information I can find. Those mountains look to be around 10-12,000' from a quick skim of the Google topography map. Some of the shorter ones could be a perfect stepping point for me. How's the area west of Los Alamos? The Valles Caldera looks nuts on the topography map.
That's Black Mesa. You need to add "New Mexico" to avoid Half-Life references. It's sacred. You need permission from the Santa Clara Pueblo if you want to climb it and I don't know if they do that anymore. Before the Internet, we were told that Valle Grande was the biggest caldera in the world. Apparently it doesn't even rate. That was okay because back Old Man Baca or one of his ranch hands would shoot at you if you crossed the barbed wire to check it out so the place could be Shangri La and you'd never know. We used to drive through on our way to Jemez Springs all the time but it was fuckin' no man's land. Now? Now it's a national park. It's also where Walt Longmire's cabin sits. I don't know what I'd tell you about the hiking nowadays. Most of it has burned two or more times since I left. I can tell you it's pretty fuckin' weird when your roommate texts you a picture of one of your old high school party spots because he's shooting a Chris Helmsworth movie there.