Dripping Springs

Much like Soledad Canyon, the Dripping Springs recreation area sits just east of Las Cruces at the base of the Organ Mountains. It's so nice having such cool spots so close to home. We always intended to go to Dripping Springs when we previously lived in Las Cruces, but we never made it there. I think we questioned if Lilly would have been able to walk it at that age (she probably wouldn't have been). We finally made it up there and it was a great hike. There are several trails that lead from the visitor center, and we will certainly be headed back to hit some of the other trails. This day, though, we were headed for Drippings Springs itself, as well as Van Patten's Mountain Camp and Boyd's Sanatorium. The trail itself is mostly loose rock, and it's uphill, so it's a bit of a tough go on the way up, especially with a kid on my back. But it's not too bad, and the walk back is great. Down in the valley, it was sunny. In the Organs, the clouds were hanging low and the humidity (for the desert) was high. It was pretty good weather for a hike, other than the "humidity" (I use that term loosely having just spent two years in Oklahoma). At times it had kind of a Lord of the Rings feel to it.
Once you get into the canyon, the first buildings you come upon are the old livery buildings for Van Patten's camp. Also known as Dripping Springs Resort, it was a very popular getaway and figures such as Pat Garrett and Pancho Villa stayed there. Van Patten went bankrupt in 1917 and sold the resort to Dr. Nathan Boyd, who eventually converted the resort into a sanatorium after his wife contracted tuberculosis. The area was later owned by the A.B. Cox family and used as a ranch before eventually being purchased by the Nature Conservancy, who then transferred the property over to the BLM.