Join hiking legend, Carol Brown, for an easy 4-miles round trip to Dripping Springs. Enjoy a waterfall in a shaded area. You will also see the ruins of Eugene van Patten’s Mountain Camp as well as the Dripping Springs Resort which was built in the 1870’s and served as a sanitorium for tuberculosis patients. This is a family-friendly event, but no dogs are allowed. Meet at 7:45 AM at the Starbucks on Redd Rd. at I-10 . Park in the big parking lot between Starbucks and Kohls. (MAP) Be sure to bring plenty of water and a sack lunch. The caravan leaves promptly at 8AM, so please be on time. For those who may want to do some more hiking, meet at the old sanitorium hotel and hike to Big Ice Canyon. For more information, please contact Carol Brown at 915-630-1424.

From Desert USA

From Desert USA

“The oldest ruin in the canyon is the Dripping Springs Resort, which was built by Colonel Eugene Van Patten in the 1870’s. In 1917 Van Patten went bankrupt and sold to Nathan Boyd, who added new structures and provided housing and care for tuberculosis patients. By 1946 all was abandoned. In the late 1980’s, the Nature Conservancy purchased the property and transferred it to the BLM. The property is now preserved for the benefit of future generations.” - From Day Hikes and Nature Walks in the Las Cruces-El Paso Area by Greg Magee, published by the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces, NM.