Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument
Celebrating 10 Years!
Throughout the month of May, the Bureau of Land Management Las Cruces District Monument staff are proud to announce the upcoming 10th Anniversary month celebration of the declaration of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks as a National Monument. A variety of events have been scheduled throughout the month. Please see the calendar events below for the links to register as many events have limitations on the number of attendees. Come celebrate with us for this 10th Anniversary!
Register and learn more about the Organ Mountain-Desert Peak anniversary events
| Date | Time | Type | Length | Program | Location Start | Sign up Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/2 | 5:30 PM | Guided Hike | 2 hours | Carts, Carretas, and Coaches: Transportation evolution from 1600-1900 | Ruby Mine Trail | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/2 | 8:00 AM | Field Talk | 2 hours | Tour an active ranch to learn about invasive species, drought, and livestock management from a rancher and a specialist | Las Cruces District Office | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/4 | 9:00 AM | Guided Hike | 2.5 hours | Join Friends docent Jim Enright to find Permian fossils and learn of the time before dinosaurs—May the 4th be with you! | Prehistoric Trackways | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/4 | 9:00 AM | Yoga | 1 hour | Join the Friends and Ritual House’s Shaylee for a rejuvenating morning of yoga on the monument | La Cueva Group Site | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/4 | 11:00 AM | Patio Talk | 3 hours | Fossil Show and Tell: Learn about fossils found in the monument with BLM paleontologist Colin Dunn | A.B. Cox Visitor Center | No |
| 5/5 | 9:00 AM | Yoga | 1 hour | Join the Friends and Ritual House’s Shaylee for a rejuvenating morning of yoga on the monument | La Cueva Group Site | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/6 | 1:00 PM | Public Event | 2 hours | Las Cruces mayor kicks off the city council meeting with a proclamation declaring May as OMDP birthday month | Las Cruces City Hall | No |
| 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28 |
6:00 PM | MTB Ride |
2 hours | Each Tuesday in May, join a BLM ranger at the Doña Ana Mtn trailhead to bike the trails and learn about the BLM | Doña Ana Mtns Parking | No |
| 5/9 | 5:30 PM | Guided Hike | 2 hours | Metal from Rock: A Refining Experience. Discuss local ores and contrast modern extraction methods with those from the past | Modoc Mine Road | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/10 | 5:00 PM | Guided Hike | 2 hours | B.A.R.K. Ranger Program—Learn responsible monument pet practices, hike with a biologist, and earn a pet collar tag! | Dripping Springs | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/11 | 7:30 AM | Guided Hike | 4 hours | Volcanoes and Trail Dust: Picacho Peak geology and Butterfield Trail history | Picacho Peak | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/11 | 9:00 AM | Guided Hike | 2 hours | Connect with the Monument and celebrate all the wonderful Madres with Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project. *Bilingual* | Sierra Vista Trail | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/11 | 8:30 AM | Guided Hike | 1.5 hours | Celebrate Migratory Bird Day with activities and a hike with the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society | Dripping Springs | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/11 | 9:00 AM | Group MTB Ride | 2 hours | Join a BLM ranger for a moderate mountain bike ride followed by tacos provided by Friends of OMDP | Doña Ana Mtns Parking | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/15 | 10:00 AM | Table Talk | 30 minutes | Learn about the snakes of the Organ Mountains in this show, tell, and talk with local snake expert Daniel Casselberry | A.B. Cox Visitor Center | No |
| 5/16 | 6:00 PM | Virtual Talk | 1 hour | Dripping Springs History, Myths, and Misconceptions—A virtual history talk with BLM archaeologist Garrett Leitermann | Zoom (click below for more info) | No |
| 5/18 | 8:00 AM | Guided Hike | 4 hours | Botany Workshop, Hike, and Tutorial with BLM botanist Kirsten Romig | Aguirre Springs | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/18 | 9:00 AM | Guided Hike | 3 hours | Join BLM archaeologist Garrett to learn the pre-history of Peña Blanca and Leave No Trace principles at archaeological sites | Peña Blanca | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/18 | 5:30 PM | Special Event | TBD | Celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument with FOMDP!—Tickets req’d | Las Cruces Convention Center | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/19 | 8:30 AM | Guided Hike | 2.5 hours | Learn about resources used by and the history of indigenous people and historic figures of the Organ Mountains | La Cueva Parking | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/19 | 8:30 AM | Workshop | 2 hours | Grab your palette and paint and join our spring Artist-in-Residence, Jane, for a plein air painting workshop | La Cueva Group Site | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/19 | 7:00 PM | Hike/Workshop | 3 Hours | Join photographer Taylor Axtell for a night hike and workshop to learn how to capture the night skies like a pro |
La Cueva Parking | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/23 | 6:00 PM | Evening Program | 1.5 hours |
Learn Chihuahuan Desert Ethnobotany with a BLM archaeologist at this talk followed by an optional evening hike | La Cueva Group Site | No |
| 5/24 | TBD | Evening Program | 1 hour | Matt Zimmerer with New Mexico Bureau of Geology shares the volcanic origins of the Organ Mountains and Desert Peaks | TBD, click below for more info | No |
| 5/25 | 8:00 AM | Guided Hike | 2.5 hours | Travel back in time through the ice age to the time before the dinosaurs with on this guided hike to the Discovery Site | Prehistoric Trackways | No |
| 5/27 | 8:00 AM | Guided Hike | 2.5 hours | The Civil War Comes to the Mesilla Valley: A history hike with BLM/FOMDP Interpretive Guide Tom Dormody | Baylor Canyon | Yes, click button above to register |
| 5/30 | 5:30 PM | Guided Hike | 2 hours | Join a descendant of Eugen Van Patten for recollections of Van Patten family history at Dripping Springs | Dripping Springs TH | Yes, click button above to register |
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument was established to protect significant prehistoric, historic, geologic, and biologic resources of scientific interest, and includes four areas: the Organ Mountains, Desert Peaks, Potrillo Mountains, and Doña Ana 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.
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office is preparing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS). Please visit the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument RMP ePlanning page for more information.
Quick Facts
Establishment Date: May 21, 2014
Acreage: 496,330 acres
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