Aguirre Spring
 | A campground at the base of the Organ Mountains in southern New Mexico. These mountains are quite striking, and you have a good view of the east side of them from the campground. This campground is also near the trailheads for two or more hikes. (It was snowing and foggy when we visited, so we will have to make a return trip to do the hikes.) |
| Campground data | Waypoints | Maps | Getting to the campground | About the campground | Plants around the campground | Comments |
|
| Date: | 2005-05-06 | 2000-12-25 |
| Cleanliness: | 7. | 5. Toilets were smelly, dirty, and full of graffiti. |
| General notes: | Firewood was for sale at the campground host. |
| Waypoint | Type | Description |
| AGUIRREG | Campground | Aguirre Spring campground |
| Map name | Cartographer | Year | Scale | Topo map? | Online access | Notes |
| Wildernesses of New Mexico | US Forest Service | 1981 | 1:1000000 | N | No online copies. | Base map with national forests, wilderness areas and highways. |
Support this site:
By purchasing your camping gear through these links, you will support this web site and it won't cost you anything more. Camping gear at Amazon
Save 40% on Patagonia, The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot & More + Free Shipping over $75! Click to Save.
From Las Cruces, take US 70 east. After you pass the high point on the
road where you are crossing the Organ Mountains, the campground sign and
turnoff will be on your right. This road ends at the campground, so you
cannot get lost.
|  |
 | When we visited, we had intended on hiking the trails that take off from
near the campground. However, as you can see, it was foggy and snowy.
As a result, we instead just camped, and then the next day headed off to
the Gila. To the left, you can see (or, more accurately, not see)
the Organ Mountains behind the campground at site 26 where we camped.
|
In spite of the weather when we visited, heat would be a real problem in
the summer. However, every site has either a sun shade or trees shading
the tables.
|  |
 | This campground looks like a lovely one to revisit, and we will sometime
when it is not snowing.
|
When it is not snowing (most of the time :-), the campground is really
pretty, with views of the Organ mountains and east to White Sands and
the Sacramento mountains.
|  |
Plants we saw around the campground:
Reader comments about this campground:
Add your comments about the Aguirre Spring campground.
|
Copyright © 1997-2018 Kenneth Ingham Consulting, LLC.
For details about the copyright, see the full Copyright statement.
Unhappy? Thinking of suing us? Read this disclaimer.
You can read our privacy statement.
I haven't camped at the regular campground but the back country campground on the loop trail is nice. On Mon Apr 25 17:33:48 2005 Meredith Rodriguez from El Paso Texas said:
Visited this campground in April 2005. Bathrooms were newly painted clean stocked with toilet paper and didn't smell that much. The host couple were continously checking on things and the garbage had been recently removed from the trash cans. This is a beautiful place in spring with blooming cactus and birds. Large flat tent sites were hard to come by so we pitched the tent on the parking area for the car. This worked out fine except that we could not stake down the tent. We will return here. On Mon Mar 5 22:32:06 2007 Devon Cloud from Dallas TX said:
I have been going to Aguirre Spring my whole life (I am an El Paso native that moved to Dallas five years ago). If you like rock formations to look at while you are camping, this is the site for you. The Organ Mountains are among the most gorgeous mountain ranges I have ever seen, and I have seen alot of them. I go back every year for at least a couple of days, take about two hundred pictures, and hike the trails. I like camping in the lower overlflow camping areas due to how quiet and private those camp sites are. Three years in a row now I have had a hawk come sit in the tree on my campsite just to check things out. I have tried to get a picture each time, but by the time I get to my camera he is gone. I am going back in about two weeks time this year... I will write again and let everyone know the conditions. After my stay at Aguirre Spring I will be going to Iron Creek campground in the Gila. On Thu Apr 5 22:12:08 2007 Devon T Cloud from Dallas said:
As promised, I am writing to tell you how my trip went. I camped at Aguirre Springs in the Middle of March this year for three nights. The Campground was spotless and the bathrooms were clean. I have been going to this campground since I was a child, and it has never been this nice before. The Campground was virtually swept away in 1991 due to a tremendous flood that caused a huge land slide. This storm took out 3/4s of the park, and they did an excellent job of repairs and all equipment within the sites are in excellent condition. The pictures on the website really do not do this park justice. The park is gorgeous and temperatures are always bearable. If you have never visited this park, you are missing out on one of life's little treasures. the trails are very well made out and the loop is perfect for those who may not be use to a huge amount of hiking and the Baylor Pass trail will give the most experienced hiker a good workout. I have hundreds of pictures of this area (For the webmaster or others that run this website, I am more than willing to send you some of them if you wish and will give you permission to put them on your website). This park is too pretty not to have some visible shots of the mountain views this park has to offer! On Sat Apr 21 17:56:16 2007 Ripley from Pennsylvania said:
I lived in Mesilla years ago when I was going to NMSU, and never got a chance to camp here. Finally did in April 2007 when I was back visiting friends. It's a truly breathtaking spot - the mountain views are one of a kind, the nearby trails awesome and well-kept, the night sky inspiring. April's a windy month in southern NM, so there was that to contend with (nothing awful; no dust storms). The toilets are fine in terms of cleanliness. Te one drawback: this spot is close enough to Las Cruces to be a bit of a party/loud family destination spot. I cut short my stay due to noise (the campground is essentially a "bowl" at the base of the mountains, so sound carries). Best campsite, IMHO, is number 24 - a short walk up the hill, away from the road, and a vista of... everything. If you can, camp early in the week to avoid the weekend noise-makers. On Sun Jun 24 15:59:38 2007 Kent Vaughn from El Paso, Texas said:
We stayed here on June 23, 2007. It was a very nice campground. We had never been here before so it was a bit confusing at first. We drove by the host home (about 4miles from camp) and wasn't sure if you paid there or not. (You don't. But it is the ONLY place for water, so you need a 5gal jug to transport). Due to the nature of the winding road, I certainly didn't want to have to turn back around to pay. The next issue was that there were no maps of the campground and it is a bit difficult to "get the lay of the land" so to speak. There is a main center area where there is some larger space, but as noted elsewhere, be careful as this is where the party goers tend to gravitate towards. We also noted the same issue in that many people who were just there for the day were taking up prime tent spaces, but we finally found some nice ones. We were in spots 9/10/11 if I'm remembering, right off the entrance. It was a nice spot due to the large area for tents. (We had two families) The restrooms were very clean and stocked. There are also quite a few of them so most tent spots are a short walk to the restroom. The rocks in the area are great for kids to explore. Our crew had 8 kids and they all had a fantastic time. It was a bit hot (no surprise) due to the time of the year. There were also HUGE wind gusts and night under a totally open sky. (Stake your tent well... you were warned.) All in all a very nice campground. On Tue Aug 7 00:39:39 2007 Anonymous from ept said:
just visited this place this weekend, sure was beautiful!!!! perfect time to go!!! especially if you live in el paso it is super close! i will defintely be going back! JUST WATCH OUT FOR WILDLIFE ON THE ROAD didnt run over any but bunny's love jumpin out on the street On Sun Aug 12 17:16:04 2007 rather not say from Las Cruces, N.M. said:
Great spot except for the camp hosts! They are old and very crankey. They call the sheriff out quite often for the dumbest stuff. If you can avoid these two old buzzards you will enjoy the spot.I know this becauce I am an avid hiker of this area and have seen first hand the antics of these two! On Mon Nov 2 10:16:53 2009 montejano, j from las cruces, nm said:
I am a native Las Crucen that has been living here for over ten years. The view of the Organ mountains still gives me chills, especially when the sun is going down in the west and the full moon is rising in the east behind the Organ's. I recently visited the campground for a hike. Here's a good tip, if you would like to ge ta good work out in, lightly jog through the trail taking a five minute break at the halfway point to enjoy the view. Have fun everyone and remember not to litter. On Tue Aug 31 15:27:51 2010 Hugh Blake from Houston, Texas said:
Very nice campgrounds. We stayed for two nights the end of August 2010. Be aware that they are renovating the campsites and some of them are not available due to the construction. Also, the work begins at 6 AM weekdays. At 6:05 am the campground is alive with activity. The bulldozers, workers, air compressers, hammers, cement trucks, etc......there should be a sign to inform visitors of this but we did not see one. After 3 PM they leave for the day and the grounds are quiet again. On Tue Mar 22 20:58:56 2011 micaiah from Lubbock, TX said:
Camped here 3/18-20/2011. The first night there was a wild party at a neighboring campsite that kept me awake till 3am with all the boisterous noisy behavior. Nearly called the sheriff myself...it was a full moon and these kids kept wandering through the middle of my campsite. Tolerated it as best I could. The next night was very peaceful. Campsite and toilet were clean. There was no active construction; it looked like most of the repairs were complete, but not all. The campsite we chose (52) was lacking the picnic table / firepit / grill that the other sites had, but made up for it in seclusion. Campsites near the group area seem to be quieter and more secluded. The hosts were very helpful and kind. Bring your own firewood, there is not wood gathering and I did not notice any for sale at the host site. 3 trails lead out of the camp area into the mountains. On Mon Mar 28 18:02:08 2011 Anonymous from Albuquerque said:
We are new to the southwest, and very eager to enjoy the outdoors here. After a late start in the morning, we arrived at the site around 5:30pm, just before they lock the gate. Turns out this was probably in our favor since we passed almost a dozen cars leaving. We stayed over night 3/26, and hiked the 4 mile loop the following day. This camp ground is great- as mentioned above, the scenery is fantastic, both night and day. The weather was perfect, bu there were extreme winds. I don't know if it is a seasonal condition, or just a random weather front passing through. This, and the extremely dry weather resulted in a ban on campfires, although the use of charcoal and camp stoves was still permitted. As for the hosts, they were very pleasant. We will be back for sure. On Fri May 27 11:41:21 2011 Rich from Southbridge, MA said:
I was working at WSMR and staying in Las Cruces so I passed the entrance to the camp ground everyday on my way to work. I finally stopped in on two afternoons to check out the area. It was fantastically beautiful. The mountains are spectacular. I could only stay briefly because I didn't have any cash to pay for a permit but I will always remember how quite it was. You could hear a pin drop in Alamogordo. Next time I'm in the area I'll be sure to have cash so I can hike the trail! On Fri Mar 18 08:50:42 2016 Nigel from El Paso, Tx said:
We just went to hike and have a picnic last Sunday 3/07/16. Very beautiful and unique place. It was a little chilly in the morning but warmed up nicely as the day went on. The pine loop trail is amazing BUT it seemed much longer than a 4mi loop. At the half way point our geo tracker said we had already gone 3.9mi. and at the end the tracker said the trail was over 7mi. (And it felt like it) The trail is very well marked so I'm positive we kept to it. It is a tough trail yet very rewarding. Lots of stair stepping type of up hill. The springs were running strong and still some snow in the upper levels of the organs. We will defiantly make this a regular weekend destination. But next time will be more prepared for a much longer hike than it says to be.