Baylor Pass is a canyon that cuts all the way through the Organ Mountains, featuring rugged rock walls crusted with spiky desert flora and equally tough desert fauna.
The 11.3-mile Baylor Pass National Recreation trail connects Aguirre Springs on the east face and Las Cruces on the west face of the Organ Mountains National Monument. If you enter from the Las Cruces side, there is no entrance fee. From the Aguirre side, there is a $3 entry fee or a national park pass will work.
If you’re not feeling the 11 miles, you can easily just do one part of the trail and still enjoy a great hike. The Baylor Canyon Pass Trail is a 4-mile leg that heads into the mountains from Baylor Canyon Road near Las Cruces. Even shorter is the short route, which starts at Baylor Canyon Rd and heads up Baylor Pass for approximately 2 miles before ending at a bench. You can then either go on or turn around.
The start of the Baylor Canyon Pass Trail is rocky and steadily uphill. We almost felt as if we were climbing stairs.
Ocotillo, desert spoons, chollas, Texas rainbow cactus, barrel cactus, and yucca lined our journey. There was not a spot of shade in sight.
As the sun rose over the Organs, the heat rose, cicadas began to whir, and sweat ran down into my eyes. How I wished I had remembered a sweatband or hat!
We slowly but steadily approached the canyon. It looked rather forbidding, as all canyons in this desert area are. These mountains do have the power to kill you and they don’t lie about it. Use your judgment and bring lots of water!
We eventually came upon a switchback as the trail entered the mouth of the canyon itself. Here the trail flattened out. The trail switched back toward Las Cruces before switching again to head into the canyon and toward Aguirre.
It was here we found the little bench. It had a small bush behind it for some semblance of shade. We rested briefly before trekking past the bench to climb a huge rock pile, anticipating incredible views from the top.
From the top of the rock pile, we had incredible views of Las Cruces, the Potrillo volcanic field, and the distant Black Range and Florida Mountains.
With binoculars, we searched for signs of animal life, finding none. However, on the return hike, we encountered this guy:
And this guy:
For lunch, we went to Pecan Grill for some green chile mac and cheese and pecan ale. Mmm.
Justin from Brooklyn was our waiter and inquired about our hike. He has just started hiking locally and has caught the New Mexico bug. Some people love it here and some people hate it. But if you love it, you REALLY love it. There is no in-between.
Baylor Pass is named after John R. Baylor, a Civil War Confederate leader, who led a Texas volunteer regiment across the pass to battle against a Union regiment in 1861. He declared himself the first governor of the Arizona territory, at the expense of many indigenous lives. Baylor loved to give orders to his men to “exterminate” Apache people in his territory and he murdered one of his dissenters, Jefferson Davis. Now, local Chiricahua Apache and Piro Pueblo people are calling for Baylor Pass and the accompanying Baylor Peak to be given more indigenous monikers.
Knowing the nasty man they are named after, I can’t help it but agree. What do you think a more fitting name would be?