Hike through a narrowing canyon to a natural waterfall and explore a dead-end canyon. This is a moderately difficult round-trip hike of about 3.5 miles up into Soledad Canyon in the Organ Mountains of Las Cruces, to view the native grasslands of the Chihuahuan desert. Your guide is an expert ecologist and herpetologist and will introduce you to plants, animals  and other natural features of the area. We will be focusing on the local toxic fauna that most people consider dangerous animals, and discuss what animals are toxic(poisonous/venomous); along with what critters are harmless and beneficial to our unique desert ecosystem.  A short talk will be available after the hike in the parking lot, for those interested in learning even more about the specific critters in our backyards we share our unique ecosystem with. The Soledad Canyon Day Use Area is at the juncture of two canyons -- Bar Canyon and Soledad Canyon -- and is in the western foothills of the Organ mountains. The area includes the three-mile loop Bar Canyon Trail, which offers an easy and scenic hike very close to Las Cruces. The Bar Canyon Trail includes scenic vistas of the central Organ Mountains and the southern Mesilla Valley.

Please bring water and a light snack and wear a hat and sturdy footwear. Pets on leashes are allowed. The Bar Canyon Day Use Area is located on the west side of the Organ Mountains, 10 miles east of Las Cruces. From Exit 1 on Interstate 25, take University Avenue/Dripping Springs Road east for about 4.5 miles, then turn south on the Soledad Canyon Road. That road will turn east in a mile; follow it all the way to the end. BLM website description: https://www.blm.gov/visit/soledad-canyon-day-use-area. Google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/fq49YSrnzzeYeMGH6.

You can choose to carpool or caravan to the trailhead from El Paso at 9:00 AM. Meet Carol Brown at Cabela’s near Artcraft and the freeway (MAP). You will arrive at the trailhead at ~9:30 AM for a short safety talk. The hike will begin at 10:00 AM.

Your guides will be William Lukefahr, M.S. and Gabriela Franco, M.S. For more information, contact Willliam Lukefahr wlukefahr@gmail.com  or (915)540-6008.