Sierra de Organos

The Sierra de Organos takes its name from what erosion left behind: columns of volcanic rock standing in ranks like organ pipes, some tens of metres tall, scattered across a high valley of grassland, juniper and pine at around 2,200 metres. Wind and water carved the formations out of ancient ignimbrite, and the effect - spires, arches, balanced blocks and amphitheatres of stone - looks so much like the American Southwest that Mexican and Hollywood productions filmed westerns here for decades, a fact the park signs enjoy repeating. Trails loop between the formations and up to lookouts over the whole basin; horses can be hired at the entrance, and the park keeps rustic cabins, camping areas and picnic ground for those who want the desert night sky, which is superb. Wildlife is high-desert standard - hawks, rabbits, the occasional deer - and spring brings brief flowering. It is quiet almost always, well worth the detour off the Zacatecas-Durango highway, and best paired with Sombrerete's baroque churches half an hour south.

History

Sierra de Órganos National Park was created by federal decree on 27 November 2000 and is run by Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources; it takes its name from rock formations that recall organ-pipe cacti or the pipes of the instrument (Wikipedia, Sierra de Órganos National Park).

The landscape

• The rock organs - ranks of eroded volcanic columns.
• The trail loops - walks between formations to the lookouts.
• The film country - landscapes borrowed by western movies.
• The night sky - desert stars from the campground.

When to go

October to April for cool walking; mornings and late afternoons give the spires their shadows. Summer is hot and brings afternoon storms.

Things to know

Facilities are simple - basic cabins, cold nights, no shops. The park needs a car, and the internal tracks suit higher clearance. Trails are lightly marked; carry water and a map.

Nearby

Sombrerete's silver-route churches lie twenty minutes south; the Durango highway continues northwest.

Key facts