Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks NM--Dripping Springs NA La Cueva Picnic Area

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks NM--Dripping Springs NA La Cueva Picnic Area

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Dripping Springs Natural Area Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011

Official Website
Dripping Springs Natural Area webpage
Dripping Springs Natural Area brochure and map
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Official Website
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument brochure and map

Tips for Birding

You will know this hotspot’s location by the BLM “La Cueva Picnic Area” sign at the entrance to a paved parking lot with a group picnic site on the south and Arroyo Trail trailhead on the north. Below and east of this parking area is another, also paved, with picnic sites on the south side and the La Cueva Trailhead on the north.

eBird species-frequency bar charts likely cover observations around both parking/picnic areas, including observations made from the paved loop road connecting both areas. To best communicate with researchers and other birders, observations along the length of La Cueva Trail should not be recorded for the La Cueva Picnic Area hotspot, but rather for the more general Dripping Springs NA hotspot. 

About this Location

La Cueva rock shelter is an archeological site located at the foot of the Organ Mountains outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. The shelter was occupied from almost 5,000 BC through the historic period that followed the arrival of the Europeans. In the mid-1970s approximately 100,000 artifacts were recovered here by the University of Texas at El Paso.

During the 18th and 19th Centuries, the rock shelter was probably known to the roving bands of Apaches who frequented the area. Then, in the 1860s, the cave was reportedly home to one of the more eccentric figures of New Mexico’s history, Giovanni Maria Agotini, known to local folks as “El Ermitano,” the Hermit. The cave can be reached by a moderately challenging trail less than a half-mile from a picnic area.

Restrooms and drinking water are available at La Cueva Picnic Area. There is wheelchair accessible parking at the picnic area but the trails are not accessible. The Dripping Springs Natural Area has a visitor center, handicapped-accessible restrooms, and picnic sites. There is no camping allowed. Although pets are allowed in the Picnic Area and some trail portions if on a leash of 6-foot or less length, they are prohibited on Lower La Cueva Trail.

The La Cueva Picnic Area has its own self-pay station. However, if you are paying by credit card rather than cash or check, you will need to go to the Dripping Springs NA Visitor Center, which is located 10 miles east of Las Cruces, on the west side of the Organ Mountains. To reach the Visitor Center, from Exit 1 on I-25, take University Avenue/Dripping Springs Road east to the end. The La Cueva Picnic Area is reached by making a left turn prior to Visitor Center..

About Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

See all hotspots at Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

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 are 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.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Official Website, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Official Website, and John Montgomery

Last updated February 28, 2023