Achenbach Canyon

The scenery is spectacular on the Achenback trail. To get here, drive to near the end of Soledad Canyon road and go south on Ladera Canyon, then turn left on the primitive road marked with a trail sign and proceed to the parking area. A high clearance vehicle is helpful. The route is a steady uphill for about a mile through some interesting rock formations including dendritic rocks, then you will come to the top of a dry waterfall. There are great views all along the way. After this point it starts to flatten out a bit to a nice grassy area with 360 degree views. You can continue hiking along unofficial trails and stream beds or turn back.

This is definitely one of the best hikes in the Las Cruces area, which has no shortage of great hiking trails that are scenic, especially in the Organ Mountains. This canyon hike is more remote than the other hikes in the area. To get to the parking area from Ladera Canyon Road it is helpful having a high-clearance vehicle. If you don't have one, there are places to park along the road back to the trailhead (with a short walk to the trail) but parking is strictly forbidden on Ladera Canyon Road. The hike itself was filled with amazing scenery and beautiful rock formations. There was nobody else on the trail, and the canyon is very quiet. We saw numerous deer droppings and tracks all along the route. There was a 1,200 foot elevation gain going into the canyon, and the return route is almost all downhill. Footing can be difficult in some spots as the trail had loose rocks that slip in spots, so I recommend taking hiking poles. It took us 3:45 minutes to complete the hike, which measured out at 5.2 miles. Strongly recommend this hike if you want a nice, quiet day and amazing views!