Skip to content
Byway
Peak · New Mexico

Organ Needle

Organ Needle, seen from above at true elevation

Organ Needle rises to 2,708 m in New Mexico. Organ Peak stands 2,668 m to the southeast, 1.3 miles off. The nearest named place is Minerva's Temple, a peak 0.2 miles away. El Camino Real passes 14 miles off. 42 named summits stand within 25 miles.

About

The story

Organ Needle is the highest point of the Organ Mountains in the south-central part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It lies in Doña Ana County, 13 miles (20,921 m) east-northeast of Las Cruces and 4 miles (6 km) southwest of White Sands, headquarters of the White Sands Missile Range. It is at the southeast end of a narrow ridge of vertically jointed granite (more specifically, quartz monzonite) called The Needles. Organ Needle is one of the most dramatic peaks in the state. True to its name, it is a steep, pointed summit. Moreover, it rises 4,000 feet (1,220 m) above the edge of the Tularosa Basin to the northeast in only 2 miles (3.2 km), and 5,100 feet (1,554 m) above Las Cruces, giving it as large and as steep a degree of local relief as any peak in the state, including Big Hatchet Peak, Sandia Crest, and Shiprock. Climbing Organ Needle involves tricky route-finding, a vertical gain of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and a difficult scramble (class 3+ or 4).

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q7101760, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

The record

What the record says

Elevation
2708 m
Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates32.34530, -106.56191
Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
Peaks: 42
Historic sites: 15
  • Rock House: 2.5 mi
  • Topp Hut: 2.6 mi
  • George Russell Beasley House Remains: 3.7 mi
  • Issac House: 3.9 mi
  • George Beasley's Goat Pen: 3.9 mi
Museums: 11
Artworks: 9
  • Nike Missile: 5.5 mi
  • NMSU: 11.3 mi
  • The Traders: 11.9 mi
  • Class of 1931 Commemorative: 11.9 mi
  • The Bent of Tau Beta Pi: 12.1 mi
Attractions: 7
  • La Cueva: 2.0 mi
  • Pat Garrett's Grave: 13.4 mi
  • World's Largest Chili Pepper: 14.5 mi
  • Sandia Gulch Begin: 18.3 mi
  • Sandia Gulch End: 18.8 mi
Springs: 4
Cliffs: 2
  • The Tooth: 0.6 mi
  • Southern Comfort Wall: 2.1 mi
Picnic sites: 2
  • South Picnic Area: 23.3 mi
  • North Picnic Area: 23.4 mi
Waterfalls: 1
  • Fillmore waterfall: 1.4 mi
Rest areas: 1
  • Rest Area I-10 (West Bound): 23.4 mi
On the horizon

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Organ Needle. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Organ PeakSE 144°2,668 m1.3 mi
The NeedlesNW 317°2,565 m0.9 mi
Baldy PeakS 177°2,564 m1.6 mi
Granite PeakESE 111°2,554 m2.6 mi
San Andres PeakN 4°2,459 m22.9 mi
Sugarloaf PeakE 86°2,443 m1.1 mi
Rabbit EarsNNW 330°2,440 m1.8 mi
Baylor PeakNNW 345°2,337 m3.4 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1118:4619:18
June solstice06:0119:4120:17
September equinox06:5518:3219:04
December solstice07:0416:2817:06

Local time (America/Denver).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F444955627180828175645244
Precip in0.50.40.30.20.40.61.81.71.40.80.40.6

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — State Univ, 12 mi away.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata
  • USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 899828 — Organ Needle, Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

OpenStreetMap element node/357586343

More peaks in New Mexico

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Plan a driveMore peaks
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Organ Needle.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens