Puerto Blanco Scenic Drive

The 53-mile Puerto Blanco Scenic Drive has 26 numbered stops and takes most of a day to complete.  The stops describe both the ecology and geology of the area.  The route traverses several types of plant communities—mixed scrub, mixed cactus & palo verde, creosote and bursage, and saltbush.  Two hiking trails start from points along the one-way portion of this road—Red Tanks Tinaja (1.2 miles round-trip) and Dripping Springs Mine (4 miles round-trip).  One doesn’t need to hike to see a mine; the Golden Bell Mine is right next to the road. 

The last 18 miles of the drive are two-way—from Quitobaguito Oasis to Hwy 85—and parallel the Mexican border and Mexican Highway 2.  At the Oasis, there were 2 American Coots and one American Widgeon.  A disappointment after seeing so many birds along the drive.  One of the original boundary markers from the post-Gadsden Purchase survey is only a few feet from the park road.  Near the end of the route is a short spur road into Senita Basin, named for the senita cactus which only grow in the lowest, most southerly part of the Monument.

Journey to the American Southwest 2003   Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument