Soledad Canyon Loop

Great Saturday morning hike. We went out pretty early, so there was lots of shade. Saw a lot of wildlife - javelina and lots of deer. There was also quite a few beetles, but they're little harmless bugs. It's a gradual elevation gain, so even if you're not in the best shape (like me), it is very doable. Just have enough water. We were also treated to the old ruins, some beautiful rock formations and best of all, the waterfall was trickling! The return back to the parking lot is pretty much all downhill.

This is a great, easy hike to a beautiful waterfall with a loop trail through the hills and grasslands which were full of wildflowers in early October. There is little shade except for the waterfall so go early. Be sure and take at least a portion of the northern Bar Canyon trail to the ruins as well. The Bar Canyon loop trail was a bit confusing due to the number of social trails so watch closely for the signs.

More and more I'm starting to prefer the Organ Mountain over the Franklin Mountains for hiking. Even for a three star trail, Soledad Canyon Loop is one of my favorite hikes we've done in the area.Finding Soledad Canyon Loop proved to be a bit difficult as it seems is the norm for a lot of trails in Las Cruces. We did a lot of research and found a website that gave a pin drop location which ended up leading us exactly where we needed to go. Right now the pinned location on Yelp should lead you right to the parking lot at the Loop, but if it doesn't just GPS Soledad Canyon Road and follow it until it ends. Before you get to Soledad Canyon Road you should pass a sign that says you're heading towards Dripping Springs... you're on the right track. They're a few miles apart (and on different roads), but you're in the general vicinity.SCL doesn't have a visitors office or anything really other than a parking lot and the loop map at the start of the trail. On the upside, that means it's a free trail! On the downside, don't hike alone unless someone knows you're out there. Musts: sun block, bug spray, and water. Most of the trail we were exposed to the elements, but we went around 8am on a cloudy day so we weren't really warming up until we were almost done with our hike.What really drew us to this hike was the promise of a waterfall at the top. In this area waterfalls tend to be small, but they're usually running well in the early spring and after a rainfall. We had just had a lot of rain the previous day so we thought it would be flowing... well when we got to the top it wasn't really flowing, but more dripping periodically. However, we found out that if you climb up the side of the hill (there's a steep trail that goes most of the way) there is much more water up there. We had two of our pups with us so we decided not to so we may never know how beautiful the top truly was.The trail itself is a mix of dirt and broken rocks. It's a steady incline, but a fairly short and easy trail. I think we were out there for maybe an hour and a half round-trip (including a long stop at the waterfall). The rocks are smaller, but didn't do any damage to our dogs paws. I do wish they put up signs while you're on the trail because there are a couple of parts that branch off so it can be a teeny bit confusing and the waterfall itself isn't actually on the loop, it a maybe quarter mile branch off of the loop. It isn't too hard to spot though because you'll notice a ton more green vegetation than you've seen anywhere else on the trail.While we were hiking we talked to some other hikers and I will say everyone on the trails in the Organ Mountains tend to be really nice. People say "good morning" and are always eager to give recommendations on other similar trails if you ask. Being from El Paso we're pretty close by, but we don't have the same working knowledge of all the awesome trails out here so it's nice to be able to pick some fellow hiker's brains.

My boyfriend took me here and I chickened out once we got to climbing some rocks but I feel you have to be some type of expert to do this. Not exactly , I'm just a big baby and scared of heights and the rocks were pretty steep. So I wasn't able to see the other side of the water fall and jump into the water. Boo boo! Next time, I shall be trained to climb first. But the walk isn't so bad, about 25min or so. They have interesting bugs you run into while you hike. Found some scorpions, all kinds of flying things and grasshoppers. The view is amazing. Desert life definitely. A little different than what I'm use to which is back home in California. You don't want to go when it's too hot. Not much shade until you get to the end, which you'll see a mini waterfall but its not always a guarantee. It was around 80 degrees so it wasn't too bad. Make sure to pack a lot of snacks and water !