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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monumentphoto of colored clouds behind an organ pipe cactus during sunrise
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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
The GREEN Desert
The green desert is surprising to most visitors who expect sand and gravel in the Sonoran Desert
NPS Photo
The Sonoran Desert is a surprising place to most visitors who expect the desert to be all sand and gravel. 

If you close your eyes and think of a desert, what colors come to mind? Brown? Tan? Sand and rock?

Many first-time visitors to the Sonoran Desert are very surprised to find this place is green.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument preserves over 330,000 acres of green, living desert that is yours to explore and get to know. Becuase of its amazing biodiversity, this place is considered a mecca for Sonoran Desert Research and is honored with a designation by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve.

Each of the plants have learned tricks and techniques to survive heat and drought, as well as freezing temperatures and floods. This is a land of extremes when it comes to plant life. This section can introduce you to some of our more common as well as some unique species of the Sonoran Desert. 
Endangered Sonoran Pronghorn  

Did You Know?
The Sonoran Pronghorn is a critically endangered species that calls Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument home for part of the year. With less than 60 animals left in the United States, our wilderness provides important habitat for this beautiful animal's survival.

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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST