New Mexico: Hike to Dripping Springs, Organ Mountains

Approach to Dripping Springs Canyon

On the afternoon of our last day in Las Cruces, we took the one-mile walk to Dripping Springs on the western flank of the lava-derived (southern) portion of the Organ Mountains (see previous post for more about the geology of the region).

The Chihuahuan desert is very dry, and these dependable springs have been known for centuries.  Just down slope of the actual springs, archeologists excavated the floor of a rock shelter (La Cueva, The Cave) that contained evidence that the canyon containing the springs has been occupied by people for millennia.

Between the end of the 19th century and the 1930's, the Dripping Springs canyon was the site of mountain resorts and a sanatorium.  When the first, wood-framed resort failed, it was turned into a tuberculosis sanatorium.  Eventually, that site was abandoned, but a new, larger resort with stone buildings was built further up the canyon.  The remains of the wood-framed and stone buildings are scattered throughout, as are two silted-up reservoirs that were built to contain and store the water from the springs.

A coup used to house chickens for the resort

Remains of the sanatorium

The stone hotel at the mountain camp

When we visited, the spring flow was unimpressive - either the springs are very modest affairs, or they flow more generously in other times of the year.  In fact, it was difficult to see the water dripping out of the canyon above.  Nevertheless, it obviously provided enough water to operate the resorts successfully.

The Dripping Springs (bottom center)

The canyon and the springs were saved by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which bought the property and then sold it to the Bureau of Land Management for a protected natural area.  Because of the presence of the water, the canyon supports rare and endangered plants, prompting TNC's interest.  The hike up to the springs from the visitor center was a relatively easy one-mile uphill trek on a gravel road that had previously been used to service the resorts.

View westward toward Las Cruces and the Rio Grande valley

New Mexico: Hike to Baylor Pass, Organ Mountains

Our fifth trip to New Mexico.  If everything works out (a big "if," of course), we'll almost certainly retire there.  The question is: where?  This trip to the south-central part of the fourth largest state in the union confirmed our love for wide open spaces and the Chihuahuan desert.  We can think of far worse places to land than Las Cruces, for example, the second-largest metropolis in the state.

Our first hike during this New Mexican trip took us to the Baylor Pass Trail in the Organ Mountains about 20 miles east of Las Cruces.  As a mountain range, the Organs are relatively small.  They don't even show up on my Rand McNally road atlas of New Mexico.  Nevertheless, they are dramatic because they are so craggy.  Though I beg to differ, I read several comparisons to Wyoming's Grand Tetons in Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce promotional material.

Chihuahuan desert vegetation along the trail

The mountain range has two origins.  The northern half - the dramatic, craggy half - is the eroded remnant of a batholith.  Magma pooled under the earth's surface but never broke through, cooling and solidifying underground.  The southern end of the mountains is the remnant of magma that did breach the earth's surface in a typical volcanic eruption.  The suture between the two is plain and stark:  the northern batholith is light pink-gray granite, while the southern is dark brown lava.

View southward along the eastern flank of the lava-derived portion of the Organ Mountains

The Organs are also one of the numerous "sky islands" that dot the southwest all along the Mexican border.  Unlike oceanic islands surrounded by water, the sky island mountain ranges are separated from one another by desert "seas," making them hotbeds for speciation and endemism.

Snow along the trail from a storm one week earlier.  The divided peaks are called the Rabbit Ears.

We chose to walk the Baylor Pass National Recreation Trail.  The 6-mile trail traverses the mountains, crossing at Baylor Pass.  The approach from the east reaches the pass in 2 miles, while the approach from the west requires a 4-mile hike to reach the pass.  We selected the shorter hike, climbing about 900 feet from the trailhead to the pass and then returning on the same route.  With leisurely breaks for birdwatching, photography, and lunch, the trek took us about four hours.   Temperatures were in low 50s - perfect for hiking, especially when the sun is out.  I even got a bit of a sunburn!

View eastward from Baylor Pass over the Tularosa Basin

Along the trail