ORGAN MOUNTAIN DESERT PEAKS NATIONAL MONUMENT | Boyd Sanatorium & Van Patten Camp | New Mexico

Located just outside Las Cruces, New Mexico is Dripping Springs Natural Area in the Organ Mountains. Trails lead to the base of the towering cliffs where tucked away are amazingly preserved wood & rock buildings from the late 1800s & early 1900s.

Within Desert Peaks National Monument is a 3-mile (4.8 km) out and back trail that sits below the Organ Mountains. Stunning views are everywhere one turns, but it is the preserved buildings one passes that really bring the history of this area into focus.

The trail itself has slight gain but otherwise is a relatively easy rock and gravel trail.

On the trail, hikers will encounter the springs which give the area, and the trail, its name. Water flow will vary depending on the time of year.

The first of the remaining buildings is an old stagecoach stop and livery that served the nearby Van Patten's Mountain Camp. Here an old chicken coop stands which would have provided eggs to guests from the chickens raised inside. Milk, beef, and varying fruits and vegetables would also be available to guests.

Hiking further along, the stone walls of Van Patten's Mountain Camp reveal themselves. Named after Eugene Van Patten, the resort was quite the sight in its day. Van Patten, a former Civil War soldier, opened the resort with his wife in 1897. His wife, being of half-Spanish and half-Piro Indian ancestry, employed native Indians to assist in the running of the luxurious resort, caring for the livery and bringing in water from the springs. The resort included a dining hall, a gazebo where bands would play, over a dozen rooms, and stood two stories tall.

The resort closed in 1915 when Van Patten ran into financial difficulties. He then sold the property to a doctor, Dr. Nathan Boyd, who had other plans for the buildings - a tuberculosis sanatorium.

One of the remaining buildings, a kitchen and dining hall, is from Dr. Boyd's sanatorium. Nearby is Dr. Boyd's house. While hikers cannot enter these buildings, one can carefully peek inside and imagine the scenes of the past. The sanatorium did not last long, however, as Dr. Boyd suffered financial difficulties - he sold the property several years later and the sanatorium closed permanently several years after that.

VIDEO FILMED: 05/18/2022

▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
⚪ Bodie State Historic Park | First Visit to This AMAZING Ghost Town | Bridgeport, California -    • Bodie State Historic Park | First Vis...  

▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ Dripping Springs Natural Area - https://www.blm.gov/visit/dripping-sp...
⚪ Directions to Dripping Springs Natural Area - https://goo.gl/maps/Ffi6dzqY1WhrnFXQ9

▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Dripping Springs Natural Area
03:33 The Livery
06:08 Boyd's Sanatorium & Dr. Boyd's House
12:51 Dripping Springs
14:23 Van Patten Mountain Camp

▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.

Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!