Victoria Mine -Organ Pipe National Monumnet

[desertgirl]

Victoria Mine

Easy Trail to historic mine site

Trail Length: 2.25 miles each way
Difficulty Rating: Easy - Moderate (a few quick climbs out of washes)
Best Season: October - April

Directions to Trailhead: From Ajo, Take AZ85 south 32 miles to park entrance.From Organ Pipe Visitor Center, faollow signs to the auto campground (1.5 miles). Trail is located at the south end.

Trail Description: The Victoria Mine trail is a great trail in the Organ Pipe Cactus Monument National Park that offers an interesting into the human history of the area in a beautiful natural setting of the Sonoyata Mountains. The trail begins at the south end of the auto campground located at about 1.5 miles from the Visitor Center. The well-marked trail to Victoria Mine heads southwest through gently rolling alluvial fans called bajadas, marked by creosote bush, greasewood, cholla, graceful ocotillo and paloverde and saguaros and a few Organ Pipe Cactus stands. You will run into occasional drops into washes, where greater moisture allow for the growth of paloverde, mesquite and abundant stands of cacti.Looking around, you cam see the distant crest of Pinkley Peak to the north and of the Sierra Cubabi across the Mexican border and the Sonoyata valley before you. On a clear day, you may be able to spy the border posts of Lukeville-Sonoyata

The trail approaches the crumpled granite hills that are heavily mineralized– the Sonoyata Mountains. These are the oldest mountains in the Organ Pipe National monument Follow the well –worn wagon track along the base of the mountains. You are walking on history as you follow the old Sonoyata-Ajo road dating back to the time when his ara was a part of Mexico! Follow this track south and you reach Victoria Mine after crossing a substantial wash.

The Victoria Mine was in operation for 40 years producing copper, gold and silver. The shell that you see (has an old bath tub that is rusting away) is Levy’s store (circa 1900’s). All around you see rusting smelting equipment, sealed off mineshafts and glory holes (prospect holes dug along veins of quartz in hopes of striking a paying lode). Use extreme caution around mineshafts, do not enter sealed shafts and be respectful of your heritage. Do not remove or disturb artifacts. Tailings are unstable, so exercise caution.

You can hike further to Lost Cabin Mines, another 2miles due south of Victoria Mine (need some route finding – Map/Compass territory) or return the way you came. There is no water on this trail, so carry plenty. Watchout for rattlesnakes along the trail.
Caution:Do not attempt this hike in summer – Temperatures reach 120 degrees Farenheit and there is no shade along the trail.
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[desert dweller]

Great description. Lots of detail. It's neat when someone lists some of the flora and fauna of an area.

I bet it would be a completely different hike in March when the wildflowers start to bloom.

[snowchickaz]

"Caution:Do not attempt this hike in summer – Temperatures reach 120 degrees Farenheit" Yes well, me and my friends last summer made the big mistake of doing this during the summer time. We had no water by the end of the hike and were just about dead. Best time to go there is December I think.

[plummer150]

We were going to go down there in January but unfortunatly was unable to. However, after reading the desription of that trail and the area down there, I'm sure I'll make it down there someday.
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"IRONMAN" cometh, hiketh, destroyeth