6 Mile Solo(ish) Hike in Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico

After visiting White Sands National Park Bella and I stumble upon a lesser known yet equally majestic area known as Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces, New Mexico, which was only recently given conservation status in 2014. At nearly 500,000 acres this park features several remote hiking trails and dispersed camping outside of the park via BLM lands.

We opted for the challenging 6 mile vertical hike up the Organ Needles Trail which involves quite a bit of zig zagging thru poorly marked high desert brush and scree scrambling at the base of a steep climb toward the summit. Once up top you are treated to panoramic views of the valley below as well as the sheer walls of surrounding mountains. Geocachers will discover a metal ammo box on the summit filled with interesting items.

Be sure to download a map from AllTrails as the local Ranger Office does not provide maps of the areas remote trail system.

Music
MatFix - Heartbeat

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