Mountain scenery and hiking await you at Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument located just east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. This monument is under the management of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and has a day use fee of $5 per vehicle. Federal Park Passes are accepted here.
The Organ Mountains
The Organ Mountains are a steep, angular mountain range with rocky spires that jut majestically above the Chihuahuan Desert floor to an elevation of 9,000 feet. This picturesque area of rocky peaks, narrow canyons, and open woodlands ranges from Chihuahuan Desert habitat to ponderosa pine in the highest elevations. Located adjacent to and on the east side of Las Cruces, this area provides opportunities for photography, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and wildlife viewing.
The Desert Peaks include the Robledo Mountains, Sierra de las Uvas, and Doña Ana Mountains, characterized by desert mountains rising steeply from flat plains. The Potrillo Mountains are the most remote section of the Monument located a distance to the southwest from Las Cruces, and is comprised of a volcanic landscape of cinder cones, lava flows, and craters. The Doña Ana Mountains have extensive pedestrian trails, equestrian trails, mountain bike trails, rock climbing routes, and some limited routes available for motorized use.
View of the Organ Mountains at the Dripping Springs Visitor Center
With just one day in Las Cruces, we were only able to check out one section of this monument. We spent time in the Organ Mountains Dripping Springs area. We were planning to hike the Dripping Springs Trail, but there was a prescribed burn to reduce fire danger on the day of our visit. We visited the Visitor Center which had some nice displays on the flora and fauna of the region and information about the mountains. The Ranger on duty recommended La Cueva (The Cave) Interpretive Trail, which starts from the Dripping Springs Visitor Center and ends at a cave. You can make a loop by hiking on to the picnic area and then returning up a wash. The Interpretive Trail provides a guide to the plants of the region. The trail is a little over a mile roundtrip with a few hundred feet of elevation change.
View from La Cueva Trail
On the trail to La Cueva, located at the bottom center of the mountain
La Cueva (The Cave)
La Cueva (The Cave) is a rock shelter archeological site which was occupied from about the 5,000 BC through the arrival of the Europeans. Excavation of La Cueva in the mid 1970’s yielded many artifacts. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the rock shelter of La Cueva was probably known to the roving bands of Apaches who frequented the area. We observed carbon deposits on the ceiling from the fires of early inhabitants.
Carbon on the ceiling of La Cueva
Another view of the Organ Mountains
We combined this with a half-day trip to the White Sands National Monument. We enjoyed the Organ Mountains and plan to return to the region for further hiking and exploration on a future trip. We stayed at the Las Cruces KOA.
