Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument celebrates the life and landscape of the Sonoran Desert. Here, in this desert wilderness of plants and animals and dramatic mountains and plains scenery three unique desert habitats converge within 500 square miles. The Monument exhibits an extraordinary collection of plants of the Sonoran Desert, including the Saguaro and Organ Pipe Cactus, a large cactus rarely found in the United States.
There are also many creatures that have been able to adapt themselves to extreme temperatures, intense sunlight and little rainfall. Sonoran desert plants and animals, found nowhere else in the United States, are protected throughout the Monument and elsewhere in Arizona
Wildflower Reports
Organ Pipe Cactus NM Package - Book and Map to help explore the park.
General Information
Seasons / Hours
Organ Pipe National Monument is open 24 hours a day, year round, because Arizona highway 85 runs through the Monument providing access between Gila Bend, Arizona and Sonoyta, Mexico. Visitation is highest in February, March and April; lowest in June, July, August and September.
Rates & Fees
- $8.00 entrance fee per vehicle.
- $4.00 for pedestrians or bicyclists.
- $12.00 camping fee per site, per night (water and dump station available, no electrical hook-ups
Visitor Center
Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, year round. Closed Christmas.
Features: Museum with 15-minute slide program in auditorium available throughout the day. Bookstore operated by Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
Facilities/Features
Stores/Museum
Visitor Center museum with 15-minute slide program in auditorium available throughout the day. Bookstore operated by Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.
- Programs/Events
Ranger conducted activities are generally available every day from December through mid-April. These activities include evening programs in the amphitheater, ranger-led walks to various points of interest and informative patio talks at the visitor center. Activities can be scheduled for other times of the year or for groups by contacting the Division of Interpretation.
Food/Supplies
Motels, gasoline, groceries, trailer parks, laundries and other services are available in Lukeville, Why, Ajo and Sonoyta, Mexico.
Accessibility
The visitor center, parking area, and rest rooms are handicapped accessible. The audiovisual programs have volume control, captioned slide programs and listening devices. There are accessible campsites, and the scenic drives have accessible rest rooms.
Rules, Regulations, Precautions
- Beware of the cactus and some dangerous wildlife. There are six varieties of rattlesnakes as well as gila monsters and scorpions. These animals play an important part in the ecology of the desert and should not be harmed.
- Visitors should be prepared for desert walking. A hat, sunscreen, comfortable and sturdy clothing and shoes, and a flashlight are necessary.
- Carry enough drinking water, one gallon (four liters) per person per day.
- Pack out all litter.
- Camping in parking lots or pullouts is prohibited.
- Park in pullouts only.
Route 1, Box 100
Ajo, Arizona 85321
520-387-6849; 520-387-7661
E-mail: orpi_information@nps.gov
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