The WERC Environmental Design Contest invites you to explore our Southwest heritage.

All contest events are at:
NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd., Las Cruces, NM

Download the information on this page: Explore Las Cruces pdf.

LOCAL SIGHTS & LANDMARKS:

White Sands National Park: You don't want to miss the world's largest gypsum dune field. Bring your own water. $25 entrance fee per vehicle. Bring your own sleds (thin waxed MDF works great!) or purchase them onsite or just jump down the dunes. Shade structures, primitive bathrooms (no running water) and BBQ grills onsite. About a 45-minute drive from Las Cruces. Travelers will pass through border patrol on the way. Bring green card, if needed. Website: White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Old Mesilla Village: Mesilla (“Little Tableland”) is the best-known and most visited historical community in Southern New Mexico. Since its beginning, around 1848, Mesilla has had a major influence on the economic, cultural, historical, and political life of the Mesilla Valley.
Location: 2385 Calle de Guadalupe, Las Cruces, NM 88046

Hot Springs in Truth or Consequences, NM: For centuries, people have visited these hot springs for their healing properties, “taking the waters” at the many bath houses in town. About 1 hour from Las Cruces. Website: Truth or Consequences - New Mexico Tourism

San Albino Church: The Basilica of San Albino, is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces and is located in Mesilla, New Mexico. It has the distinction of having originally been established in Mexico, but it is now located in the United States as a result of a transfer of territory in the Gadsden Purchase.
Location: 2280 Calle de Principal, Old Mesilla Village

Recycled Roadrunner Sculpture: The giant recycled roadrunner — 20 feet tall and 40 feet long — has been an icon of Las Cruces ever since artist Olin Calk built it in 1993.
Location: I-10, Las Cruces, NM

MUSEUMS:

Museum of Nature & Science: This museum is about looking and understanding—looking up to the stars, looking out to the desert, and looking down to see ancient fossils.
Location: 411 North Main Street
Days: Tuesday – Saturday (Sunday and Monday – Closed).
Time: Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm.

The Zuhl Museum: Part art gallery, part natural history museum, the Zuhl Museum at NMSU is the home of the Zuhl Collection containing over 1,800 beautiful specimens of petrified wood, fossils and minerals.
Location: 775 College Dr. (Behind the Windmills).
Days and Time: Tuesday – Friday 12-4PM (Saturday, Sunday & Monday – Closed).

Las Cruces Railroad Museum: Located in an historic Santa Fe Railroad depot, the Las Cruces Railroad Museum interprets the railroad history of Las Cruces and the impact of the railroad on Southern New Mexico.
Location: 351 N. Mesilla Street
Days: Tuesday – Saturday
Time: Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Las Cruces Museum of Fine Arts and Culture: The Las Cruces Museum of Art hosts changing contemporary art exhibits, including national, international, juried, traveling, and invitational exhibits. The Museum runs an extensive art studio class program for all ages.
Location: 491 North Main Street
Days: Tuesday – Saturday (Sunday and Monday – Closed)
Time: Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm.

HIKING AND CAMPING

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument: Our nation’s newest protected area features recreational opportunities like strolling through desert nature trails and the chance to encounter petroglyph and archeological sites. Intrepid travelers traveled in caravan 22 miles of the Butterfield Stage Trail; outlaw Billy the Kid and warrior Geronimo took refuge among these hills; World War II pilots and Apollo Astronauts made history on this land.

Aguirre Springs
Location & Information: The Aguirre Spring Campground is located on the northeast side of Organ Mountains in Dona Ana County, 21 miles east of Las Cruces city center.

Dripping Springs
Location & Information: The Dripping Springs Natural Area is located 10 miles east of Las Cruces, on the southwest side of the Organ Mountains. The Dripping Springs Natural Area has over four miles of easy hiking trails, including the Dripping Springs Trail, which shows off desert scrub and low elevation pinon-juniper and oak woodlands. The area also boasts excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.

Sierra Vista Trail
Location & Information: Extensive trail that runs right along the edge of the Organ Mountains and consequently, has beautiful views of the mountains and Rio Grande Valley and eventually connects with the Franklin Mountain State Park. Skill Level: Experienced – Advanced – Has loose sand in some spots.

Bar Canyon/Soledad Canyon
Location & Information: 10 miles east of Las Cruces, there are several trails for mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian use, with beautiful views of the Organ Mountains and Southern Mesilla Valley.

Prehistoric Trackways National Monument
Location: Coming from the South (Las Cruces): Travel on Picacho Ave./Hwy. 70. Go north on Shalem Colony Trail for approximately 5.5 miles. Prior to reaching the Rio Grande, you will reach a county road, Rocky Acres Trail. Turn West on Rocky Acres Trail and drive approximately 1/4 mile. Turn left onto the only dirt road road (Permian Track Road) leading to the west. Cross over a cattleguard and continue west. After about one mile, the road is for high-clearance, 4wd vehicles only. You may walk on foot past this point.

Prehistoric Trackways Website

Platinum Sponsors