Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Feb 18 2024

KingLeonidas

Guides 33
Routes 286
Photos 445
Triplogs 251

35 male

Joined Oct 23 2017
Tempe

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Southwest, AZ

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 18 2024
		KingLeonidas • Triplogs 251

Hiking	1.11 Miles	205 AEG

Hiking	1.11 Miles	32 Mns		2.38 mph
	205 ft AEG	4 Mns Break	6 LBS Pack

Linked

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no linked trail guides

Partners

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Dripping Springs is one of the few springs in Organ Pipe National Monument.

Logistics/Getting There
Reaching Dripping Springs requires a scenic drive on North Puerto Blanco Drive, a one-way section within the park. From the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Visitor Center, head north on Puerto Blanco Drive and continue into the dirt one-way section until you see the signed turnoff for the Dripping Springs Trailhead.

Navigation
The initial section is a well-defined path following an old county road. As you progress along the ascent the trail becomes rock and the correct route become less obvious, look for a signed junction indicating the direction of Dripping Springs and the ridge. You can hear the water as you approach the springs and there are two seeps in the side of the mountain.

Weather
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument experiences scorching summers and mild winters. Spring (March-May) and fall (October-November) are the most comfortable times to tackle Dripping Springs Trail. Be mindful of potential flash floods during monsoons (July-September) and always check the park's weather forecast before your hike.

Trail Conditions
The trail is a mix of dirt initially and solid (though uneven) rock on the ridge. The initial portion of the trail is fully exposed with some shade possible as you ascend depending on the season and time of day.

General Comments and Musings
The initial stretch of Dripping Springs Trail is a pleasant desert walk and with the mountains and saguaro making for a photogenic view. As you ascend the seeping water and shade allows for grass and other vegetation to survive. There are two springs, the first is effectively a seep and is very small right along the side of the trail. The 2nd is the actual "dripping" spring and is audible as you approach. There were a lot of bees and other insects in the vicinity that were taking advantage of the water source.

There is an additional trail that continues up to Dripping Springs Saddle that we did not take as we were doing other trails on this time. However, with the benefit of hindsight, this was one of the better trails in Organ Pipe National Monument and continuing on the the saddle likely would have made it even better. Next Time we are here we will go the rest of the way for sure.

Dripping Springs

Dripping

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2 archives

Feb 12 2022

cindyl

Routes 17
Photos 2,773
Triplogs 249

53 female

Joined May 15 2009
Phoenix and Tucs

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Southwest, AZ

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Southwest, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2022
		cindyl • Triplogs 249

Hiking	1.35 Miles	447 AEG

Hiking	1.35 Miles	41 Mns	1.98 mph
	447 ft AEG

no routes

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no linked trail guides

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partners

southpawaz

i talked my better half into walking up to the ridge with me. the springs were quite wet, and quite filled with bees. there was some graffiti up top, sad to note.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Saguaro - Crested

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Graffiti

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Dripping Springs

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There are just two switchbacks left. And another half-mile to the destination...

Apr 11 2015

Hansenaz

Guides 4
Routes 205
Photos 9,282
Triplogs 526

72 male

Joined Apr 06 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Puerto Blanco Loop - Organ Pipe NM

Southwest, AZ

Puerto Blanco Loop - Organ Pipe NM

Southwest, AZ

Scenic Drive		Apr 11 2015
		Hansenaz • Triplogs 526

Scenic Drive

Scenic Drive

no routes

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linked

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Quitobaquito Springs

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My oldest son is home for a few weeks before heading to Zurich for a couple years. We planned to hike today but he'd blistered his feet wandering around South Mountain the day before so I strained to come up with an alternative in a hurry.

I settled on a trip to Organ Pipe NM. I'd been there once before with my other son and drove the 21 mile eastern loop (recently biked by intrepid Hazers), and I thought today we could do the recently re-opened 40 mile western drive. BTW thanks much to Randal for his encyclopedic posts on OPNM...I wish I'd had more time to assimilate all the useful information.

I enjoyed this longish loop...not as spectacular perhaps as the 21 mi loop with fewer impressive OP cacti along the road but more varied. We stopped to do a 2mi walk up to Dripping Springs and the ridge crest - I can recommend that one. Also the famous Quitobaquito Springs is well worth a stop - a lot of water in the middle of the desert. I noticed only one Senita cactus along the road but I made sure to take a picture. That's the only "wild" one I've ever seen. There is a spur road into Senita basin but we skipped that.

With the stops the loop took about 3hrs. It's a full day from Phoenix but we were still home in time for happy hour.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Greater Roadrunner Red-eared Slider Tiger Whiptail

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2 archives

Dec 28 2013

Randal_Schulhauser

Guides 71
Routes 98
Photos 9,967
Triplogs 1,009

65 male

Joined May 14 2003
Ahwatukee, AZ

Organ Pipe (ORPI) Dec2013, AZ

Hiking		Dec 28 2013
		Randal_Schulhauser • Triplogs 1,009

Hiking	7.86 Miles	640 AEG

Hiking	7.86 Miles	8 Hrs	0.98 mph
	640 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Puerto Blanco Loop - Organ Pipe NM

Desert View Trail

Victoria Mine Trail

Dripping Springs - Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Partners

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ORPI December 2013

It seems like if it’s winter in Arizona, it’s time to take a trek down to the Mexican Border and go explore Organ Pipe (ORPI) Cactus National Monument. Check out :next:

http://www.nps.gov/orpi/index.htm

Last year saw Mt Ajo tackled :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photoset=23249

I’ve had some ORPI backcountry adventures including El Camino del Diablo :next:

http://hikearizona.com/photoset=7356 and Quitobaquito via Puerto Blanco Loop (albeit aborted) :next:

http://hikearizona.com/gps=1004 plus some others…

When I arrived at the ORPI Visitor Center today, I asked if there were any “re-opened” areas in the park. Ranger Krystina indicated that they just began issuing limited special permits (5 per day) on Sunday 22Dec2013 to travel 6 miles beyond the "pit toilets" to the Dripping Springs trail head. I scored permit #3 for today. This is all part of a grand experiment to reopen the Puerto Blanco Drive loop to Quitobaquito Springs in small increments. Let's hope the experiment is a success! For consideration :next:

http://www.tucsonweekly.com/general/pdf ... mpacts.pdf

“Rest of the Day” recap;

Coffee and bagel at 48th & Ray Road Einstein’s - rendezvous with additional Trekkers
Shawmut Trainspotting Loop aborted due to a Border Patrol activity - 2 males being taken into custody at sunrise
Ajo open pit mine visit
11 miles from Visitor Center to Dripping Spring TH
Also had time waiting for sunset at Desert View Trail and Victoria Mine Trail
Left the park after a disappointing sunset for Mexican food at Marcella’s in Ajo

7.86 miles, 640 AEG (64 floors) on Fitbit
264 total photos (62 on iPhone, 108 on 6D, 61 on 7D, 33 on rebel XT)- will post some when I get the chance

PS. That annual NPS pass came in handy once again!
PPS. Will Puerto Blanco Loop be recovered as an ORPI backcountry option? :next:

http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizon ... drive.html

PPS. Still planning that El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. Can we make this happen in 2014? http://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisit/pinacate.htm and http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/north ... -altar.htm

Sent from my iPad

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Organ Pipe Cactus

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cag Shot

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ajo Copper Mines Ajo Range Dripping Springs

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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