Organ Needle

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
View of Organ Needle from the west
Highest point
Elevation8982+ ft (2738+ m)  NAVD 88[1]
Prominence3,700 ft (1,100 m) [1]
Coordinates32°20′42″N 106°33′41″W [2]
Geography
LocationDoña Ana County, New Mexico, U.S.
Parent rangeOrgan Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Organ Peak
Climbing
Easiest routeOff-trail hike/scramble, class 3+ or 4

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).[3]

References
  1. "Organ Needle, New Mexico". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  2. "Organ Needle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  3. "Organ Needle". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
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