 Anyone living in the Mesilla Valley is reminded daily of the majestic Organ Mountains that tower above the basin, but not everyone has had the chance to get up close and personal with the rugged mountain range.
The Organ Mountains, rising up 10 miles east of Las Cruces and neighboring the San Andres Mountains to the north and the Franklin Mountains to the south, serves as a retreat for hikers, both experienced and casual, by offering easy and more advanced hiking trails, campsites and historical monuments.
The Organ Mountains are made up of three major sections. On the north end are the Needles, a narrow ridge of vertically-jointed tertiary granite serving as the tallest point in the range at 8,990 feet. On the south side of the Needles is a wide section of purplish-gray rhyolite, forming the bulk of the mountain range. The section is cut in half by Soledad Canyon, which extends west from the east side of the range, separated by a low ridge from Bar Canyon on the west side. The third portion of the Organ Mountains consists of the Bishop's Cap Hills on the southwest side of the range and Rattlesnake Ridge on the southeast side of the range. Bishop's Cap can be reached through rugged dirt roads, but has no developed trails and Rattlesnake Ridge is entirely within Fort Bliss and inaccessible to the general public.
Aguirre Spring sits at the base of the stunning cliffs on the east side of the Organ Mountains, overlooking the Tularosa Basin and White Sands National Monument. The campground includes 57 family sites and two group sites, 55 small picnic sites and two large family group areas with shelters and shade trees.
Two national recreation trails start at the campground, the Baylor Pass Trail and Pine Tree Trail. Baylor Pass Trail is a six-mile one-way trail that leads to Baylor Canyon Road on the west side of the mountains. Pine Tree Trail is a four-mile loop that climbs to the base of the Organ Needles in a thick Ponderosa pine habitat. The Baylor Pass Trail is open to hiking and equestrian use while the Pine Tree Trail is open to hiking only.
Dripping Springs and La Cueva located on the west side of the Organ Mountains are the two most well-known areas in full view of the Mesilla Valley. Trails lead to the ruins of the old Dripping Springs Resort, a former hotel and sanctuary for people suffering from tuberculosis or a trail leading to La Cueva, a mountain cave believed to be a shelter for prehistoric Mogollon Indians and a hermit trying to get away from it all. Hikers, both casual and more experienced can walk along the low-elevation trails around La Cueva and entering the lower parts of Fillmore and Ice Canyons. The Soledad Canyon Day Use Area provides a loop trail in the lower part of Bar Canyon, south of Dripping Springs on the west side of the range.
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Jerry Carson on Organ Mountain Needle |
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