Organ Pipe National Monument

 

We are hanging out in Organ Pipe National Monument after leaving the Arizona Trail to a hurt knee. This place is awesome and a great  place to regroup before heading home to California. 

The Sonoran Desert has a very diverse plant life and is rich in Native American history as well.  This park is a real gem and gives a lot of information on both. 

We  camp in the main campground and find it very quiet and the evening ranger talks are fun and informative.  Views are outstanding, morning sunrise and evening sunset from the nearby, easy 1.2 mile desert view trail are also recommended.  

 

We also take the 21 mile Ajo Mountain Road drive and stop at all the numbered stops and read all the information from the booklet the rangers give us at the Ranger/Visitor Station.

 

We stop on the drive and take a hike.  I can't resist even though I know my knee won't like it. 

We hike the Bull Pasture/ Estes Canyon Loop Trail and it is 3.6 miles long.  A good choice we think. 

We head onto the Bull Pasture Trail. It is fairly easy until the spur trail to the historic Bull pasture  area, then it is quite steep with some stairs.  

 

The views are nice and it feels great hiking.  Along the way we meet a man from Maine who shares all of his favorite spots in the southwest and we have a lovely trailside chat. Thanks Steven. 

 

Flowers are just beginning to bloom and we can imagine how beautiful it they will be in a week or two.  

 

 

The hike back down is tough for me with my injured knee but still enjoyable albeit slow.  We return via the Estes Canyon trail and it is easier incline and has a lot of different kinds of birds flitting around and some foreign birders  with binoculars.  

One highlight for me at this park was completing the park's desert ranger program and getting a patch!  Woohoo.  I've always wanted a Ranger patch.  I learned lots about the desert too which is a plus.  

We highly recommend a visit to this park in the spring and look forward to returning when my knee is better and we can take in more hiking.