The Desert Sings At Organ Pipe Only Desert Rats Need Direction To This Out-Of-The-Way Arizona National Monument

Nature dug a couple of fairly awesome holes up in Northern Arizona, which attract tourists like puppies to an old sock, meaning that the best cactus country in the West is left open and quiet for us certified desert rats.

So while all the folks from New Jersey, Burbank, Calif., and Dusseldorf, Germany, are wandering around playing sardine games at the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly, we’re down in the Sonoran Desert smelling the dust and creosote bushes and watching redtailed hawks circle through the sky.

Mostly, though, we’re listening to the wind and the desert whisper in our ears, and we’re getting on a firstname-howdy basis with one of botany’s true masterpieces, the desert cactus.

Down here, in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, so close to the Mexican border you could hit it with a rock, the real star of the cactus world is - what else - the organ pipe, but you also run across one of the best stands of saguaro in the country.

Plus, there are prickly pear and senita and teddy bear and chainfruit cholla and elephant trees. Lurking in the cactus and the ocotillo are Gila monsters and diamondbacks, and flitting around are roadrunners, quail, coyotes, tortoises and javelinas (everybody’s favorite ugly piggy). In fact, the park’s 330,000 acres contain more than 550 species of plants, 50 species of mammals, 40 species of reptiles and one species of fish.

Best of all, this great chunk of desert is stuck out in the middle of nowhere; you almost can’t get here from there, which is why you can wander around the trails and dirt roads out here and have the whole shooting match pretty much to yourself.

The organ pipe cactus, so named because it looks a bit like a set of organ pipes (or maybe a mutant menorah), is found mostly in Mexico, and about the only place you see it in the United States is here. Like many other desert plants, the organ pipe thrives on sunshine - very handy when you figure this part of the earth is sunny most of the time. In the summer, 100-degree-plus days are normal; in the winter, it cools off to the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Organ Pipe Monument is just one of a stash of federal parks in the southern Arizona area. Others include the more popular Saguaro National Park near Tucson, plus Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (ancient ruins); Chiricahua National Monument (rock pinnacles, great scenery); Tonto National Monument (ancient ruins); Tumacacori National Historic Park (Spanish mission ruins); Tuzigoot National Monument (ancient pueblos); Coronado National Memorial (in honor of the Spanish explorers); Fort Bowie National Historic Site (frontier history); and Montezuma Castle National Monument (ancient ruins).

All these facilities lie south of Interstate 40, which runs through Flagstaff. Major cities in the area are Phoenix and Tucson. Organ Pipe is about 140 miles southwest of both cities. It sits next to the Papago Indian Reservation to the east and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to the west.

Lukeville, the only hamlet within the park, sits across the border from Sonoita, Mexico, about 60 miles from the small Sea of Cortez tourist town of Puerto Penasco. There are motels in Lukeville and Sonoita, not a bad option now that the Mexican government has simplified border crossings and car insurance.

The park offers a mix of desert experiences, from coasting along in your own air-conditioned car to some serious back-country hiking and camping. As far as plant viewing is concerned, the best time to visit the park, as with most deserts, is in the spring or early summer, when the bloom is on the cactus.

But don’t sneer at fall or winter, either. Moderate temperatures, maybe even a little snow, make for desert enjoyment that doesn’t bake you like a clay pot. The area does get a lot of winter pressure, however; the only campground in the park is often filled from January to March.

Note also that cactus and wildflower seasons in any desert can vary widely. One year might be spectacular, the next a total dud. But the plants are impressive enough without the blooms, so the trip will not be a waste. In the case of the organ pipe, take a flashlight. The cactus is shy about showing its beauties until after sundown.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go There are two self-guided driving tours of the park. The roads, both gravel, are easily passable by family car (unless the area was just hit with a gully-washer). The longest (53 miles) is the Puerto Blanco drive, which ranges through a wide variety of ecosystems and offers a chance to see most of the plant species in the park. The shorter Ajo Mountain drive goes through a group of outstanding saguaro forests and is a major center for the organ pipes. Both start from the visitor center, which has restrooms, telephones, a bookstore and museum. It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. all year. There is a $4 entrance fee to the monument; camping is $8 a night for singles or families, $20 a night for groups. There is a dump station but no electrical hookups. There are several close-by trails from the visitor center. A short wildlife trail is wheelchair accessible, and pets are allowed on two of the shorter trails. The best short hike is on the Desert View Nature Trail, which is self-guided. For hardier hikers, a good bet is the Estes Canyon-Bull Pasture Trail, which goes to the top of the hills in the park and offers stunning views; or try the Victoria Mine Trail, which goes to the oldest and richest mineral mine in the area. Primitive camping and back-country hiking are available by obtaining a permit at the visitor center. For information, write Superintendent, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Route 1, Box 100, Ajo, AZ 85321; (520) 387-6849. Information on other Sonoran Desert national facilities, as well as other Arizona sites, is available from the Arizona Department of Tourism, 100 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007; (602) 542-8687 or (800) 842-8257.