Thursday, February 24, 2022
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Every nomad and wanderer has their own travel lifestyle. Some love to travel in packs with other nomads to see wonderous places. Some move about staying in RV resorts for weeks or months at a time.
Me? I’m a hiking nomad. If the trail is accessible to Minnie Rambles then I’m doing it. Well, unless the trail has steep drops off the side of mountain. I may have to do a hard pass on that trail. Although, I’ve done Picacho Peak just outside Tucson, AZ twice and it’s got some pretty hairy drops.
Any who, I tend to go off topic, blame my 50 year old mind. Actually, I’ve always been this way. Lists are my friend.
There I go again.
Back to the hike.
Hiking to Victoria Mine in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
I rolled into Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument with the intention of hiking a short hike, leaving to stay just outside the park then going back in the next morning to hike again. This was a shattered plan as I realized parking for the RV was limited, meaning the best parking is at the visitor’s center. The trail I planned to hike was off a dirt road with a 24′ length limit, I’m 26′.
Yes, there are other roads, parking lots and trails in the park yet they were further out than I cared to drive so…
I hiked the trails that left from the Visitor’s Center. I have to say, it was an amazing hike!!!
After visiting, well, the Visitor’s Center, for my obligatory sticker to place on my hiking board I ate some lunch, changed into my hiking clothes, lathered the sunblock on, filled my water jugs (I always carry 2 liters), grabbed my backpack and headed out.
I wanted to hike the Victoria Mine Trail but to get there I had to first jump on the Palo Verde trail that will lead you to a campground.
I couldn’t have asked for better weather! It was in the mid-50’s without a cloud in sight! Given, this is bad for photos but I’m not out there to be a photographer, I’m out to gather in nature.
The Palo Verde trail meets the Victoria Mine trail just pass the campground, just about a mile or so from the Visitor’s Center.
There are Saguaros and Creosote bush everywhere! And one of my favorite desert plants – the Ocotillo!! Which seem to be coming into bloom this late February. But where were the Organ Pipe Cactus, the park is named for?
The Organ Pipe Cactus are more illusive than other plants in the area but that’s what made finding them special. One caveat, most were off trail so pics were hard to capture from a distance. Keep in mind, I rarely go off trail. Why? I like to keep off trail as untouched as possible for the health of the plants. So I didn’t capture the beautiful Organ Pipe Cactus unless I could from the trail.
The Victoria Mine Trail is fun! It winds up and down and around the desert with great views of Mexico and the nearby mountains. Washes here were plentiful in plants, like a big cactus garden.
I didn’t see anyone heading out, which made me a bit nervous. This trail is very close to the Mexican border and there are signs to be alert for illegal activity in the area. I was starting to wonder if I was on a trail not traveled much by hikers. I don’t mind being out on trail alone but I also don’t like the feeling of being alone where a potential dangerous situation could occur. My hiker self reassured me that I was ok since I noticed a lot of footprints heading out to the mine.
Victoria Mine was about 3.5 miles from the Visitor’s center. I quickly captured some shots of the mine shaft and buildings left standing in the area and headed back.
To my delight, I ran into no less than 50 hikers on the trail back. Where were they on the way out? This eased my mind, I wasn’t alone out here. I spoke with a few about how amazing it is out there and what great weather we’re having, typical hiker chit chat.
On my way back the winds started to kick up, like it usually afternoons does in the AZ deserts. This made keeping my sun umbrella difficult to manage. I don’t wear hats or long sleeve. I hike very hot and hats give me a headache. So I bought a great sun umbrella from Six Moon Design specifically to protect me from the sun’s rays.
The 7.6 mile hike took me about 3 hours. I would have actually gone slower to take in the scenery but I really wanted to get out of the sun.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is definitely a good detour down highway 85 in Arizona. It’s a lesser traveled park so the crowds are more minimal and it’s just as beautiful as any other desert park.
My hike on AllTrails of Organ Pipe NM
Organ Pipe Cactus NM homepage
