Photograph by Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument

Establish in 2014, this monument is the crown jewel of the southern Rockies. The mountains encompass extremely rugged terrain with a multitude of steep-sided crevices, canyons, spires, and several perennial springs. Organ Needle is the high point in the complex, topping out at slightly under 9,000 feet in elevation. In a mere three miles to the west the elevation drops over 4,000 feet, making the Organ Mountains one of the steepest mountain ranges in the western US.