Pine Tree Trail, Aguirre Springs National Recreation Area

Our second weekend off from Habitat we headed to the nearby Aguirre Springs Area on the other side of the Organ Mountains from Las Cruces to hike the Pine Tree Trail. Starting at just below 6,000 feet and elevation and topping off at 6,880, the trail does in fact get into some big trees which was something I was really excited about considering we had been weekday walking in the sandy desert of the Mesilla Valley. We even encountered some caramel-wafting ponderosa pines on the return of the loop, which are my favorite tree.

The whole hike was gorgeous. On the ascent there are continuous views of the magnificent and distinctive spires of the Organ Mountains (called the “Rabbit Ears”), which are more prominent than what can be seen from Las Cruces on the western side of the range. There were also incredible vistas over the basin below which contains the White Sands Missile Range as well as the White Sands National Monument. As is common, the higher we went the more impressive views we were given, though by the time we entered the pine trees the trail itself became quite beautiful. It was refreshingly chilly on the hike and there was a decent amount of snow in the upper 300 feet of the trail, particularly on the shadier northern side, which was a welcome change from the desert below, but the lower section was completely clear and an easy, pleasant walk.