Events

Join Garrett Leitermann, archaeologist with the BLM Las Cruces District Office, and hike to ruins of the old sanitarium and Van Patten Hotel. Enjoy a beautiful waterfall at the end of your hike.

This is an easy 4-miles roundtrip hike into the canyon to see the spring and the ruins of the old sanitarium and the Van Patten Hotel. This makes for a nice family outing and is great for history buffs. Dogs are not allowed.

Bring 2-4 liters of water, snacks and a sack lunch.

Meet at Cabela’s near Artcraft and the freeway at 8:00 AM to carpool/caravan to Dripping Sprints. Or you can plan to meet at the Dripping Springs visitor center at 8:50 AM. Take I-10 West to I-25 North and take exit 1 University. Turn right onto University road, which becomes Dripping Springs Road. Stay on it all the was to the Dripping Springs visitor center.

The oldest ruin in the canyon is the Dripping Springs Resort, which was built by Colonel Eugene Van Patten in the 1870’s. In 1917 Van Patten went bankrupt and sold to Nathan Boyd, who added new structures and provided housing and care for tuberculosis patients. By 1946 all was abandoned. In the late 1980’s the Nature Conservancy purchased the property, transferred it to BLM. The property is now preserved for the benefit of future generations. (From Day Hikes and Nature Walks in the Las Cruces-EL Paso Area by Greg Magee. Published and sold by the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces, NM)