Welcome to the New Mexico section of Mountain Project!
The contributions that are made to this site are greatly appreciated; this site is made up of an awesome community of users that make the site what it is.
Although there is very little information regarding “rules” for submitting climbing areas and routes to this site, the New Mexico Administers all agree that the following guidelines may be helpful to truly make this site go “Beyond the Guidebook”.
1) Don’t be a jerk (this one states the obvious). 2) Route and area submissions should truly be helpful to those out climbing. Before posting, you should have some first hand experience actually climbing the route. This always results in a much more useful description. 3) Please, please, please… Don’t copy route descriptions directly out of guidebooks, online publications, etc. This is plagiarism! Remember, BEYOND the guidebook! 4) Please use the spell check and make an effort to use correct grammar.
Again, the Mountainproject community truly appreciates the efforts taken to make good route descriptions. If you feel that a route or area description is not up to standard, a brief email to one of the area admins for suggestions on improvement will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to make the New Mexico section of Mountain Project quality! We look forward to seeing you out there!
Description
The Dona Ana mountains offer ample climbing for any climber passing through Las Cruces. Although not as eye-catching as their magnificent neighbors , the Organs, they have been a favorite climbing area among locals for many years. From bouldering to long traditional routes, the climbing here is varied and spread out over a large area owned by the BLM and NMSU. The rock tends to be granitic, and similar to that found in the Organs. While the Dona Ana Mts lack the grandeur of the Organs, they have relatively short approaches and even some "drive-up" climbing, which gives them an advantage over most of the climbing in the Organs.
The main attraction is the Checkerboard wall, a beautiful 500ft cliff offering several moderate-easy lines. Other popular spots are the Bear Boulders and Pizza Boulders, which offer drive-up climbing in a secluded desert surrounding. NMSU recently acquired much of the land in the Dona Ana range and has closed some areas to climbing, including the Columns and the North boulder Field. Please respect these clusures and we may have a chance to negotiate access.
The Dona Ana Mts are bounded by the Jornada Experimental Range on the north/east, and Las Cruces on the south/west. It is harsh desert environment and should be treated as such (birng plenty of water and minimize your impact). Camping is permitted on BLM land, and there is a great network of biking trails.
Getting There
The main access point is Jornada rd. To reach this rd take Hwy 70 east from las Cruces. Exit at Mesa Grande Rd and follow signs for the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park. This will take you to Bantaam Memorial Drive heading west for a few blocks. Turn right onto Jornada rd at a Shortys gas station. Jornada rd becomes a wide gravel rd within a few miles and will drive you by the east side of the mountain range. Several dirt rds lead to the various climbing areas.
Resources
Rosul-Dunning Guide. This PDF guide has a good topo for the Checkerboard wall, as well as a map to the different climbing areas in the Dona Anas. Contact me (Aaron Hobson) if you would like a copy.
There is a guide to the some boulder problems that can be found at the NMSU climbing wall.
Dona Ana Mountains
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