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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Arizona

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1937

330,688 acres

Overview

“The green desert” is home to dense stands of saguaros, ocotillos, and its namesake organ pipe cacti. The monument’s 330,689 acres sit on the Mexican border of Arizona and were recognized as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976. The park has a reputation for being dangerous, which it can be for NPS Law Enforcement due to its border location, but tourists should encounter no problems while enjoying the beautiful landscape.

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Highlights

Ajo Mountain Loop, Alamo Canyon, birding, earn an “I Hike For Health” pin

Must-Do Activity

The namesake cactus is more common further south and shares this landscape with 27 other species of cacti, including the famous saguaro. To see the cacti at their best, I recommend driving the 21-mile dirt road Ajo Mountain Loop in the evening before turning in for the night at the campground.

Best Trail

The National Park Service (NPS) runs a shuttle some mornings to Senita Basin from where you can hike back to the visitor center (with an optional side trip to the abandoned Victoria Mine).

Photographic Opportunity

The park’s Ajo Mountains are mostly volcanic rhyolite and their jagged outlines photograph well in the twilight hours with the famous saguaro cactus silhouetted in the foreground.

Peak Season

Anytime but summer when temperatures regularly soar above 100°F.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$25 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The highway is paved to Kris Eggle Visitor Center and Twin Peaks Campground, but most of the dirt roads are passable for all vehicles.

Camping

The park has the very nice Twin Peaks Campground (with solar showers) where you can pick up free hiker shuttles that allow for one-way trips back to your tent. There are also a couple dry campsites (permit required) on Alamo Canyon Road. A permit is required for backcountry camping.

Related Sites

Coronado National Memorial (Arizona)

Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona)

Tumacácori National Historical Park (Arizona)

Nearest National Park

Saguaro

A cristate formation on an organ pipe — An organ pipe cactus with a unique cristate formation.

Phainopepla — We saw unique bird species like this phainopepla, in addition to Scott’s orioles, Gila woodpeckers, black-throated sparrows, and, of course, ravens.

The border wall under construction in January 2020

It is a steep 2-hour long scramble up to this arch

Raven about the park in the Sonoran Desert

Explore More – Why is the Visitor Center named for Park Ranger Kris Eggle?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments

Overview

Aircraft developed at an incredible rate between the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903 and the 1940s. Yet at the outset of World War II, African-American men were not allowed to be pilots in the Army Air Corps (before the 1947 creation of the Air Force). In 1941, an experimental program was started at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to train hundreds of pilots, bombardiers, and navigators for the looming war. The site is housed in the old hangars at Moton Field airport where historic airplanes and excellent interpretive panels tell the story of the group of African-American men that came to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

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Highlights

P-51 Mustang airplane, interpretive film

Must-Do Activity

Start your tour inside Hanger No. 1 then watch the film inside Hanger No. 2, where you will learn about the Tuskegee Airmen’s goal of Double-V, victory over the enemy abroad and victory over racism at home. After the war, in 1948, President Harry S Truman signed an order calling for “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services.”

Best Trail

No trails

Instagram-worthy Photo

Get a shot in front of the P-51 “Red Tail” hanging from the ceiling inside Hanger No. 2.

Tuskegee

Peak Season

The site is open year round, but every Memorial Day weekend there is a big celebration at Moton Field and many of the surviving Tuskegee Airmen visit the site.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/tuai/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

The site is handicap accessible, and if you contact the NPS before your visit they can arrange parking closer than the main visitor lot on the hill above Moton Field.

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed at nearby Tuskegee National Forest.

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2015TuskegeeAirmen — Jump at any chance to meet some surviving Tuskegee Airmen. This event was in Cheyenne, WY.

Explore More – The 72 Tuskegee Airmen combat pilots shot down how many enemy aircraft during World War II?

WONDON WAS HERE

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Raven About The Parks

Tag Archives: museum

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

WONDON WAS HERE

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