Wildflower & Shelter Cave Photo Walk

• When: October 10th, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• Where: Pena Blanca Trailhead (approx. 18-20 miles southeast of Las Cruces)
• Difficulty: Easy to Low Moderate. Elevation gain 285 feet; some scrambling if you want to explore the smaller rock shelters. There will be a lot of off-trail hiking as we look for wildflowers. This is a very leisurely, 3-4 mile, round-trip hike.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours plus travel time.
• No restrooms or water at trailhead. We recommend bringing approx. 1/2 gallon of water per person.
• Please wear sturdy footwear and sun protection.
• Recommend downloading the "Seek by iNaturalist" app for ID'ing wildflowers, available from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Join area wildflower photographer Melissa Laferriere to explore the beauty of the Peña Blanca Wilderness Study Area. Melissa will show us where to find wildflowers within a typical desert landscape, and which cell phone apps and camera tricks to use when identifying and photographing desert flora and insects.

We'll have prizes for the hikers who take the best photos! All hikers will get a list of other area wildflower hikes. and the best seasons to see various wildflowers.

This area is also home to some unique rock formations and prehistoric shelter caves. The shelter caves provide spectacular views of the surrounding desert, and feature grinding mortars and pictographs from the Jornada Mogollon culture. When the caves were excavated in the 1980s, nearly 200 ancient corncobs were unearthed. Some of these were nearly 3,000 years old, providing some of the oldest evidence of maize cultivation in what is now the United States.

Directions:
Google Maps Pin
All Trails Map of Hiking Area

Trucks/SUVs/Crossovers: Take I-10E south from Las Cruces to Exit 151. Cross the highway and follow County Rd B059 to the trailhead. The last mile of this road has a lot of sharp rocks, and should only be navigated by vehicles with rugged tires and good ground clearance.

Passenger cars: Because the last mile of County Rd B059 is very rugged, meet us Landmark Mercantile (12000 Stern Dr, Mesquite, NM 88048) at 7:30, and you can leave your care there and carpool to the trailhead with us.

Caution/Disclaimer: Hikers are responsible for their own personal safety/health and of their guests when participating in Las Cruces Short Hikes activities. The organizers of Las Cruces Short Hikes are not liable for any illness, injury, accident, mechanical break-down, or unforeseen acts that may occur while you participate going to, during, or after any activity. If you have a medical condition that may be aggravated by any kind of physical activity you must make your own personal decision about attending and not hold any of the volunteer organizers liable. All organizers are volunteers and are not compensated during any activity.