September is a Monumental Month to Explore!

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE. CULTURAL EXPERIENCES. HISTORIC TOURS. UNIQUE EVENTS.

Monuments to Main Street is a month-long celebration of nature and history tours, concerts and film festivals, local flavors and local agriculture, and the great Southern New Mexico outdoors. The month of September is full of special events and activities offered by the community to showcase the region’s vibrant culture. The entire month of interesting tours specific to Las Cruces consolidates the very best of the area and provides tourists a timeframe where coming to Las Cruces is an absolute must.

Whether you are interested in exploring the great outdoors, cultural festivals, family fun, or unique tours and adventures – Monuments to Main Street has something for everyone! Check out a list of events below and sign up for monumental experiences you will never forget.

ACHENBACK CANYON GUIDED HIKE

The trail for this out and back hike leaves the rear of the parking area and takes you 1.65 miles to a shallow cave.

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ADEN CRATER: RUGGED WONDERLAND GUIDED HIKE

Tour the rugged yet lush wonderland of Aden Crater & Aden Lava Flow.  Unique wildlife, geologic gems and pockets of lush vegetation compliment the backdrop of stark black lava. Located in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Aden Crater is thought to have last erupted roughly 16,000 years ago and was the discovery site of an intact giant ground sloth specimen.  Aden Lava Flow is said to have been home to various outlaws and others on the run who sought its rugged shelter.

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BIKEPACKING & STARGAZING CAMPOUT TO LEASBURG DAM STATE PARK

Here’s your opportunity to learn more about bikepacking in our National Monument.  Enjoy a scenic trip to Leasburg Dam State Park and enjoy a star party and some live music. We’ll make sure everyone is prepped and ready at our introductory meeting 10 days before the campout. You’ll be able to ask all your questions, check your bike, and meet the trip leaders.

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BIRD WALK BY THE MESILLA VALLEY AUDUBON SOCIETY

Beginner guided Bird Walk with guide helping participants identify and learn about local birds. Easy and level walking through small City park, and also out into desert scrub along arroyo.

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DISCOVERY SITE TOUR AT THE PREHISTORIC TRACKWAYS NATIONAL MONUMENT

The Discovery Site guided hike will take visitors to the original major deposit of Paleozoic Era fossilized “trackways”—footprints of numerous amphibians, reptiles, insects, and plants,—dating back 280 million years.  Visitors will learn about the terrestrial world of the Early Permian Period, and the animals that roamed the tidal flats of the ancient oceans. The BLM Monument paleontologists will discuss the importance of the sites to the scientific study of early Permian period track sites and the associated animal behaviors and paleo-environments of the time, which predate dinosaurs.

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HORNY TOAD HUSTLE MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

You don’t have to be a desert-dweller to participate in this mountain bike race, but do be ready to see some monumental sights!

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LOWER BROAD CANYON HIKE

Explore the famed Broad Canyon, which drains the west side of the Sierra de las Uvas Mountains and surrounding Desert Peaks, making it a living example of the powerful shaping of water in the desert and rare home to permanent water even during the driest months. Come out and enjoy the unique towers, alcoves, and small arches in the cliffs and fascinating formations of shifting sands, desert flora and animal tracks. This hike will start from Lower Broad Canyon providing a new perspective of the high walls and rock formations seen along the route. The hike will be 4 miles round trip, mostly walking through sand.

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MAARS TO THE MOON PLANE TOUR AT KILBOURNE HOLE CRATER

This plane  tour will take participants to the visually stunning Kilbourne Hole and explore the history of the Apollo Space program here.  Designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1974, Kilbourne Hole is a globally famous mile-wide volcanic maar crater thought to be 80,000 years old. This rare geologic wonder was used by the Apollo 12-17 missions to train astronauts for a lunar environment. This site is also near Hunt’s Hole, a smaller crater also inside the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

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MASSACRE PEAK & BUTTERFIELD TRAIL HIKE

Enjoy a nice hike up massacre peak while experiencing the rich cultural and scenic landscapes of southwestern sierra de las uvas mountains. Set in the middle of lush chihuahuan desert grasslands, massacre peak is a site of an infamous apache raid that lies along the historic butterfield stagecoach trail, the country’s first connected transportation route.  Atop the peak you will experience sweeping 360 degree views of the organ mountains-desert peaks national monument.

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MESILLA RIVER RUN! INNER TUBE RAFTING TRIP ON THE RIO GRANDE

Cool down and enjoy the sites of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument by taking a 1 ½ hour lazy float trip down the Rio Grande.  You’ll start your river journey at Mesilla at the Calle de Norte bridge. Funyaks and river tubes.

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MONUMENTAL JEEP TOURS

A rugged four-wheeled adventure into the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument awaits! The new Jeep Tour takes you into exotic locations in or near our new National Monument to explore its rich beauty and geologic wonders with two options:
Tour Option 1 – Apollo Astronaut Training Site at Kilbourne Hole Crater
Tour Option 2 – Tonuco Mountain, Along the Rio Grande
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MONUMENTS TO MAIN STREET KICKOFF FIESTA

It isn’t Monuments to Main Street until we Kick-Off the month with a Fiesta! This Fiesta free and open to everyone takes place at Klein Park in the heart of the Historic Mesquite District. Don’t miss live music, demonstrations, fun and games at the fiesta!

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ORGAN MOUNTAINS CITY-TO-SKY PLANE TOUR

Experience New Mexico’s most iconic mountain range, the Organ Mountains, as never before on this first ever plane tour.  Your aerial adventure goes from the Las Cruces Airport up the Rio Grande River and alongside the rugged Robledo Mountains and Billy the Kid’s Outlaw Rock.  Get a VIP view over Las Cruces, New Mexico’s 2nd largest city, and experience a once in a lifetime view of the Organ Mountains, while you fly alongside the crown jewel of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

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ORGAN MOUNTAINS PINE TREE TRAIL HIKE

The Pine Tree Trail is a 4.5 mile loop providing spectacular views of the Organ Mountains and the Tularosa Basin. The trail is located in the Organ Mountains just east of the city of Las Cruces. The trail is a loop, with the trailhead being located near the campground area at the Aguirre Springs Recreation Area. It starts at an elevation of 5,700 ft. and rises to 6,880 ft. at the base of the Organ Needles, making it the highest maintained trail in the Organ Mountains.

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PICACHO MOUNTAIN OUTDOOR FESTIVAL W/5K FUN RUN & WALK

It’s a two day festival complete with a chile rellenos cook-off contest, a 5k fun run and walk, music, activities for children, stagecoach rides, horseback rides, Native American dancing and drumming, guided hiking tours to Picacho Peak, and so much more.

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PICACHO PEAK HIKE

Picacho Peak is a 4959-foot high peak just northwest of Las Cruces. It is a volcanic mountain composed of rhyolite (mostly quartz and feldspar) that solidified at the surface approximately 35 million years ago. The recreation area has over 15 miles of mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian trails. This 1.5 mile hike to the peak provides spectacular views of the Mesilla Valley and the Organ Mountains. Although most of the recreational use occurs on the peak, there are also large canyons and mesa tops to explore.

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PUBLIC LANDS DAY

Celebrate our Public Lands! NPLD is a fee-free day for all federal public lands and many state parks. Whether you volunteer on NPLD, enjoy some hiking, biking or camping, or simply learn more about your public lands and the plants and wildlife that live there, we invite you to take this day to enjoy the great outdoors and special landscapes of Southern New Mexico. #NPLD

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SLOT CANYON TOUR

In the shadow of the Robledo lies a slot canyon, whose winding shadow filled pathway beholds a unique wonderment within the Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument. This tour will take visitors on a short hike through a quiet canyon filled with desert willow and wildlife, to descend into a one of a kind slot canyon.  Carved by water, this unique slot canyon features high walls and dramatic views that provide tour attendees a surreal and rare experience within our Chihuahuan Desert.

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TOP OF THE WORLD RIDGE HIKE

Begin with a gentle walk up a lush ridge but prepare for the breathtaking summit of Top of the World Ridge. Upon reaching the top you will enjoy a 360 degree view of all of the mountain ranges within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and into Texas, central NM, and Mexico. Wildlife abounds so don’t be surprised if you see mule deer, javelina, coyotes or even an elusive bobcat. Travelling to our departure point we will cross the historic Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Trail and pass alongside landscapes alive with thousands of years of cultural history. This trip offers a rare view into the stunning beauty the region holds.

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WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT SUNSET STROLL

See the painted skies change across the dunes of white gypsum as the sun sets in the Tularosa Basin, and one of America’s greatest natural wonders at White Sand National Monument.

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WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT FULL MOON HIKE

Experience the white gypsum dunes glow a lunar white under a good moon rising.

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WWII BOMBARDIER TARGETS PLANE TOUR

This unique tour takes you back in time to get an up close view of a World War II bombardier training mission, last seen over 70 years ago.  You will fly over the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and see the giant bombing targets bladed into the desert.  They resemble bull’s eyes or alien crop circles.  The targets were part a former training program essential to helping America win World War II. In 1942, twenty-four targets were built in the desert to train.  Seven of the targets were built in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks.  Each target consists of four concentric rings, the outermost being 1000 feet in diameter.

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MESILLA VALLEY CORN MAZE

Get lost in a whole lot of elotes, folks! The Mesilla Valley Corn Maze is a Las Cruces staple and fun for the whole family.

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SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO STATE FAIR & RODEO

Grab those boots and that hat and make your way on down the fairgrounds for rodeo, food, livestock showings, and fun!

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AGGIE FOOTBALL GAMES

Keep up with Aggie Football! The Aggies are a mean, green-chile eating bunch and in September the color crimson flow through every Las Crucen’s veins! Catch a football game and see what NMSU sports are all about!

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ART RAMBLE

Each Friday of the month, downtown Las Cruces is filled with artists & art-lovers. Gallery owners open up their doors to welcome in guests and display new collections and new exhibits. Make your way down to Main Street and get your creativity fix!

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DIEZ Y SEIS DE SEPTIEMBRE FIESTA – MESILLA

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day in the Historic Mesilla Plaza – Live music, rides, food, games, a parade, and more!

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LA GRAN FIESTA

Musical performances, food, and in the heart of the City.

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WILD AND SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL

Join us for a night of environmental and adventure films that will inspire activism and transport you to the farthest reaches of the globe.

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THE BORDERSCENE FILM FESTIVAL

Award winning titles, exciting opening night film, celebrity speakers and workshops, and we’re honored to introduce the world of film festivals to the digital streaming audience.

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