Las Cruces New Mexico
- ahschneid
- Feb 23
- 5 min read
We drove from Picacho Arizona to Las Cruces New Mexico (315 miles) on Wednesday 19 Feb 2025.
The drive along I-10 East was somewhat boring till we saw Texas Canyon in Dragoon Arizona. We stopped at the Rest Area there just to take in the wonder.
Texas Canyon Rest Area - Dragoon Arizona 19 February 2025
Texas Canyon Rest Area - Dragoon Arizona 19 February 2025
We were settled in and ready for a walk around the campground by 3:30pm. We noticed flyers throughout the park about a hotdog social that evening at 6:30pm. We were tired from driving but at least we wouldn’t have to cook and do dishes if we went for hotdogs. So we went and enjoyed meeting a couple of fellow campers. One gentleman is living there while the house he bought is being prepped for them to move in. He moved there from Phoenix and said that he got a lot more house in Las Cruces for less money. We also met a family living in the park while the husband works for a solar company installing solar farms. It was a nice evening.
Our stay in Las Cruces was 4 nights or 3 days to do things. On Thursday (20th) we hiked the Dripping Springs Trail on BLM land in Las Cruces. The hike was rated easy and 3 miles round trip. Steve spotted some oryx on the move from a distance. We watched them through the binoculars for a few minutes, but they didn’t come close enough for a picture. Not far from them were a few mule deer relaxing under a tree. It’s always nice to see wildlife in their natural habitat.
20 February 2025
Organ Pipe Mountains
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Mule Deer
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Livery
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Livery
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Sanitorium for TB patients late 1800's - early 1900's
Dr. Boyd's Sanatorium was a tuberculosis sanitarium in the Organ Mountains of New Mexico. The sanatorium is part of the Dripping Springs ruins complex.
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Van Patten Inn
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
The Oryx Steve spotted were too far away to get a picture, but the Visitor Center had this one...
Dripping Springs Hike - 20 February 2025
After our hike, we still had lots of daylight left, so we decided to drive out to White Sands National Park in Alamogordo New Mexico. To get there, we drove through the White Sands National Missile Range. That’s a huge area (miles) in the desert with hardly anything there. Eventually we noticed the sand getting whiter. At the visitor center we watched a short film about why the sand is white and then we drove the 8 miles through the dunes. We stopped a couple of times to feel the sand and it was cool and like talcum powder. Park visitors are allowed to walk anywhere on the dunes and even to slide down on discs. We saw a few families sliding down, but we opted not to do that. The sand is white because of the gypsum in the volcanic rock and sea rocks. It took only 7 thousand years to form the 275 miles square area of white sand and is the only white sand area of its kind in the world. It’s even visible from space! As we drove through the dunes Anita kept feeling like there should be an ocean beyond them, but it is just mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert all round.
US-70 East - 20 February 2025
White Sands National Park - Alamogordo New Mexico - 20 February 2025
White Sands National Park - Alamogordo New Mexico - 20 February 2025
White Sands National Park - Alamogordo New Mexico - 20 February 2025
White Sands National Park - Alamogordo New Mexico - 20 February 2025
White Sands National Park - Alamogordo New Mexico - 20 February 2025
Sunset from our back window 20 Feb 2025
Sunset from our back window 20 Feb 2025
On Friday 21 Feb, we did the Soledad Canyon hike, also on BLM land in Las Cruces. This hike was 3.5 miles round trip and rated easy. We found it to be even more beautiful than the hike the day before. This area boasts of being one of the most botanically diverse areas in New Mexico and we would agree. We saw lots of birds on the trail and just beautiful mountains and valleys. When we got to the canyon, it felt like 10 degrees cooler. It was so quiet too.
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
Soledad Canyon hike 21 February 2025
After our hike, we drove to Las Cruces Dam Open Space to have our picnic lunch. We were both a little tired, so we headed home and just relaxed the remainder of the day. We don’t usually hike two days in a row to give our joints a break, but with so little time in Las Cruces we made an exception. Saturday, our last day in Las Cruces, we went to the local farmers market, grocery shopped and attended mass at 4:30pm since we were driving Sunday.
It turns out that just a couple of miles from the campground was Basilica of San Albino. We attended mass there.
Basilica of San Albino - Mesilla New Mexico - 22 February 2025
Basilica of San Albino - Mesilla New Mexico - 22 February 2025
Basilica of San Albino - Mesilla New Mexico - 22 February 2025
Basilica of San Albino - Mesilla New Mexico - 22 February 2025
We enjoyed our 4 nights/3 days at Hacienda RV Resort. It was conveniently located and had nice amenities. We have arrived at Terlingua Texas to see Big Bend National Park from the west entrance. We'll tour this area for 10 days and then move closer to the east entrance.
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