Sierra Vista Trail

Connecting Las Cruces and El Paso, the Sierra Vista Trail takes hikers along the base of the Organ Mountains, providing a unique glimpse of the American Southwest desert. From the northern trailhead, the route begins as a well-maintained dirt singletrack, with a few small rocks scattered along the way. This is the condition the trail will be in for most of its length. The path makes a number of small climbs over the short ridges and gullies of the foothills. A good variety of lowland desert plants circle the trail, with an unusually dense number of barrel cacti, native to this region. After circling around a few outlier hills and passing through a gate, Sierra Vista crosses a road and continues past the Talavera trailhead. The trail through this section is similar to the previous one, a bit rockier but uncomplicated and with great mountain views. As the trail leaves behind the homes along the foothills, it passes through a field of white thorn bushes and merges briefly with a dirt road before continuing south. Near the six mile point, it briefly follows a barbed wire fence. At the end, it reaches the Wilderness Study Area, a section thick with plant life. As the path approaches the Pena Blanca trailhead, its namesake rock formation becomes visible to the southeast. Continue across the dirt road to the third trail section. The initial portion, in an arroyo, can be hard to follow, so use the GPS track to stay on course. Some interesting caves can be seen along the mountains through here, along with the prominent Bishop Cap formation. As the trail moves away from the mountains around the thirteen mile point, it enters a grassland and becomes hard packed sand. After a few miles it returns to rolling over the ridges, coming to another trailhead. South of Vado, the trail follows a straight, dull dirt road for six miles. The crossover at 20.5 is along a washout; use the GPS for reference. It then turns east along another road, bypasses a washout, and crosses over to the east side of the mountains. The crossover segment is in poor condition and overgrown, so be careful. The next segment is along a flat, easy dirt road. Hikers may hear the tanks of Ft. Bliss practicing to the east. After crossing the highway, Sierra Vista returns to singletrack once more. It technically ends at the state line, but an extension continues south, passing an interesting cave, before finishing at a washout near Northern Pass.