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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument > Puerto Blanco Drive
Definitely one of the best scenic roads in Arizona, the 52 mile Puerto Blanco Drive travels deep into the unspoilt backcountry of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, across plains and through mountain foothills. Besides the varied plants of the Sonoran Desert, the drive passes close to old mines, springs, historic sites and a tree-lined oasis, plus there are a number of hiking paths ranging from short nature trails to lengthy
unmaintained routes.
Update - 2007: Only the north section of Puerto Blanco Drive is currently open, as far as mile 5 (Pinkley Peak, site of a new picnic area) - just past the turn off to Red Tanks Tinaja. The remainder is closed to vehicle traffic 'indefinitely' according to the NPS, because of concerns about illegal cross-border immigration.
Half of the drive is 1-way, from the main visitor center on AZ 85 through the Puerto Blanco Mountains to Growler Junction, where it meets a 4WD track that gives access to the northwest section of the monument. From here, the main drive is 2-way - south to the Mexican border then alongside the international boundary fence for 25 miles back to AZ 85 and the village of Lukeville. There is plenty to see on this section but the full journey is recommended; this takes around 4 hours, depending on the number of stops. All of the road is unpaved, fine for 2WD cars though not suitable for vehicles over 25 feet - there are some sharp bends and steep dry wash crossings.
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Red Tanks Tinaja: From the visitor center, the road starts out north then curves west, around the edge of part of the Puerto Blanco Mountain range and soon offers a sense of peace and isolation. After 4 miles a short trail leads to Red Tanks Tinaja, a section of streamway where seasonal floodwaters have carved several potholes ("tinajas") in the underlying red sandstone rock layer which hold water for some time after rainfall and so are important for local wildlife. A round trip to the tanks takes about half an hour and also passes an old well plus many cacti,
although no organ pipes.
Old Mines: Over the next 6 miles, the road veers north, across the end of the Valley of the Ajo - a great broad depression with evenly-spaced saguaro stretching to the horizon. A small hill at mile 10 offers particularly fine views over the valley, the mountains and the road itself - a perfect wilderness scene (see QTVR panorama). After here the track becomes a little more steep and uneven, bending sharply to the left then back right as it crosses through the Puerto Blanco Mountains. Two long disused mines are located on the rocky slopes - Dripping Springs Mine (reached by a 2 mile trail) and Golden Bell Mine right next to the road. This has two shafts close to an outcrop of colorful mineralised rock, and is
now the site of one of several picnic areas along the drive.
A Well and an Oasis: After the mountains the land drops gradually and organ pipe cacti begin to appear below 1,400 feet, from near the Golden Bell Mine (at mile 17); these plants are not frost tolerant and occur only at low elevations. As the road heads further south, the next two points of interest are Bonita Well - site of a water tower and corral used in cattle ranching operations in the 1930s, and a short trail leading to a cristate saguaro - a rare and beautiful abnormality that is occasionally found when the growing tip of the cactus becomes elongated, forming a convoluted arc. The drive meets the unpaved road at Growler Junction and becomes 2-way, turning due south to the border with Mexico and another junction - a 0.4 mile side road ends at Quitobaquito Oasis, an odd sight in this otherwise arid land, where several springs feed a large pond surrounded by trees and frequented by ducks and other wildlife.
Senita Cacti: The remaining 25 miles are mostly quite straight, running next to the small fence that separates the USA from Mexico. At the far side, State Route 2 is a busy 4-lane highway with several clusters of houses and shops - quite a contrast to the empty lands before. There are a few places with open gates in the fence where it is possible to drive through onto the main road. The Puerto Blanco Drive passes some groups of the third and rarest of the large American cacti species - the senita; these are even more susceptible to frost damage than the organ pipes and so generally occur only at the lowest, most southerly part of the national monument, although they are also found in one other area, at Senita Basin. This is a sheltered location at the south edge of the Puerto Blanco Mountains, reached by a 4 mile spur road. As well as being the best place to see the 3 large species of cacti growing together, there are several hiking trails that climb into the mountains towards other old mines.
I drove this road in late November, when the temperature was around 70°F, and the day was both windless and cloudless, unlike other parts of the state; even Phoenix was rather cold and drizzly. No other vehicle passed in the three hours I spent exploring and because of this, and the perfection of the desert scenery, the trip to the Puerto Blanco Drive has to be about the best day of all the many hundreds I have spent in the Southwest. |
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