Hike The Thumb, Bar Mountain, and Van Patten Camp Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument, NM

Nov 04, 2022 — The Organ Mountains are an incredibly unique range in southern New Mexico, but the most popular hike seems to be along the Dripping Springs National Recreation Trail, a trail that leads to only the base of the mountains to a historic site, Van Patten Mountain Camp. Looking up at the cliffs is pretty incredible, but with so much more to see out here it feels underwhelming in comparison. The trail itself is short and fairly flat, so I wanted to loop in a couple of minor summits nearby to add some adventure.

From the Dripping Springs parking lot, I started out on the Dripping Springs NRT for a short time before leaving it to ascend to The Thumb, my first peak. I chose a grassy spur ridge to ascend, quickly finding an animal trail that led up to the peak's main east ridge. A fence ran the length of this ridge, so I followed it to the base of The Thumb where there was a small cliff. I wrapped around the cliff on the right and continued up light Class 2 to the summit. To the south I could see my next peak, Bar Mountain. However, the southern cliffs of The Thumb are steep and rocky and going that way would force me to descend a significant distance before even starting up to Bar Mountain. Instead, I backtracked and followed the wide, arcing ridgeline on the east side of The Thumb.

In hindsight, Bar Mountain is likely better accessed from Bar Canyon a few miles to the south, but I had my mind set on grabbing it now and link up with the Dripping Springs NRT, so here I was. The wide ridge was quite nice, light grasses in place of typical Organ Mountains cacti. I crossed under a fence and dropped south into a drainage when I was above Bar Mountain, losing a hundred feet or so and then gained a spur ridge. An animal trail led me most of the way up to Bar Mountain's east ridge. From here I continued toward the summit. I saw a few little gullies I could choose to use to ascend, none of which ended up being particularly fun. It's Class 2/2+ on somewhat loose rock and with some thorny plants. The views were nice from here, the Organs sprawled out right in front of me.

I backtracked to the arcing, wide ridge I was on earlier and followed a heavily overgrown road to reach the Dripping Springs NRT. The rest of my hike would now be a tame walk with some history lessons thrown in. The trail follows a wide gravel walkway to the base of Dripping Springs, a small waterfall. The falls are positioned above a dam, and are nestled among the towering cliffs of the Organs. The Van Patten Mountain Camp, an abandoned set of structures leftover from some guy named Major Eugene Van Patten in the late 1800s, is located nearby. It's an interesting piece of history in what was probably a very remote place before Las Cruces became a civilization. A small loop is formed to access all the points of interest, and there are interpretive signs at the various points.

First I passed The Livery. The plaque read: "These outbuildings, including the livery, chicken coop and mercantile, are the first signs that you are close to Eugene Van Patten's Mountain Camp. Guests arrived at Van Patten's on stagecoach and horses. The stagecoach drivers would place the wagons inside a long barn next to the corral. Up at the camp's dining room, guests would enjoy a wonderful meal, including seasonal fruits and vegetables, beef, milk from the dairy cow, and fresh eggs from the chickens raised here. Once automobiles became available, you would also be able to see them here."

I then got to Van Patten Mountain Camp, which was accompanied by: "In this canyon, you can hear the echoes of other visitors or water dripping down the reservoir. However, in the late 1800s to early 1900s, you could hear the merriment of those who came to Van Patten's Mountain Camp. At its peak, the resort had 32 guest rooms with murals, and the dining room featured a full-size piano. Muslin cloth covered the ceilings. There was an outdoor garden and gazebo for entertainment. It attracted the social elite and was popular among students from New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now New Mexico State University, for picnicking, exploring, and relaxation. Eugene Van Patten was an important figure in the Southwest. He was a Butterfield Trail stage line driver, Confederate army officer, and county sheriff among many other professions. He once owned most of the land that is now Las Cruces."

Finally, I took a little walk up to what's labeled Boyd's Sanatorium, another cluster of buildings. Here there was a plaque reading: "Dr. Nathan E. Boyd, a physician and businessman agreed to pay Eugene Van Patten $25.00 per year where he was 'at liberty to occupy, use and utilize for the purposes of your camp so much of the said canyon' in part to attract health seekers. However, Boyd later refused to pay Van Patten rent and other costs, so Van Patten sued. The dispute deepened when it was discovered that Van Patten's homestead patent had the wrong property description, and Boyd had submitted an application to homestead Dripping Springs instead. Van Patten managed to fix his patent and win all his court cases against Boyd. Yet Boyd refused to budge, and after 13 years of court battles, Van Patten went bankrupt. He ended up selling Dripping Springs to Boyd for $1. The building in front of you served as a kitchen and dining hall. Dr. Boyd and his family lived in a house behind this building. The guests stayed in cottages and tents."

I then hiked past Dripping Springs, encased by a reservior built by Eugene Van Patten in 1892 to impound and supply water to the nearby Dripping Springs Hotel.