Organ Mountains- Block Peak, Granite Peak, Granite Peak East, Organ Peak

back to home page

October 4, 2026

After having done a fun jaunt up Onion and Garlic domes the previous day, I quickly came up with another fun exploratory route in the Organ Mountains. Organ Peak lay near center in the range, splitting the more technical needles to the north from the nontechnical rolling hills to the south. Further east from Organ Peak was Granite Peak, one of the more remote and more difficult-to-reach peaks to in the range. I decided to connect both peaks into one route, hopefully catching the sunset from Organ Peak.

Peaks climbed 

Peak	Elevation	Topographic Prominence	Summit Coordinates (lat/lon)
Block Peak	8,600 ft	213 ft	32.33346, -106.53762
Granite Peak	8,402 ft	192 ft	32.33199, -106.52079
Granite Peak East	8,487 ft	431 ft	32.33232, -106.51449
Organ Peak	8,877 ft	1,004 ft	32.33010, -106.54899

Total Stats

15.3 miles

5,430 ft gain/loss

As with the previous day, I started from Baylor Canyon Rd, adding 2 miles each way but avoiding the Dripping Springs gate which was locked every day at sunset. I started casually in the mid morning, plodding up the very overgrown roadbed southeast of Baylor Canyon Rd before joining up with the well maintained Dripping Springs trails.

I soon branched off east on a use-trail which continued up through Fillmore Canyon for several miles. This trail would take me all the way to Organ Peak, and it was surprisingly popular for a hike that wasn't officially publicized. I passed two separate parties who were also going for Organ Peak.

walking through The Narrows

Since my plan was to be on the summit of Organ Peak for sunset, I hiked right past it to get to Granite Peak first. Just past Rock House Spring, the use-trail headed southeast towards Organ Peak. I continued east to a saddle almost due east of the spring, then began traversing the long ridge connecting to Granite Peak further east.

The first part of this ridge contained some tedious bushwhacking. I eventually found that it was easier to stay directly on the crest where there was less brush as opposed to sidehilling through heavier foliage.

Soon I reached the highest point between Organ Peak and Granite Peak, which was spot elevation 8593 on the 7.5' topo. There was a cairn and register here, proclaiming this as "Block Peak." The original entry indicated that they were trying to reach Granite Peak but that was too far, so they settled on this intermediary peak as consolation. Sounds like someone had a rough day.

summit views from Block Peak

I continued east, now with Granite Peak in view. The ridge looked less brushy up ahead, and in fact it was. My forward progress nearly doubled in speed due to cruiser terrain. Just like before, I remained directly on the crest for the most brush-free travel.

There were technically two Granite Peaks. The western one (labeled as Granite Peak on the 7.5' topo) was much lower while another point not far to the east, Granite Peak East, was a good bit higher and much more imposing. The summit of the lower Granite Peak was rolling and grassy, with most of its eastern viewshed blocked by Granite Peak East. At one point I was startled by a large rattlesnake sunning itself on some rocks. It was odd that he was out, given that the temperature was below 60 degrees. I continued onward, scrambling up the class 2 west ridge of Granite Peak East. Near its summit, the persistent grass and shrubs were replaced by granite talus.

I reached summit of Granite Peak East sometime in mid afternoon, and hung around there for about an hour enjoying the panoramic views. It was cool being so far into the range in a remote area!

By late afternoon I was slowly retracing my steps back west, frequently scanning the ground for snakes since I had seen one earlier. I was able to continue following the ridge west until linking back up with the Organ Peak use-trail which continued ahead a short distance southwest to the summit. It was decently windy now and I was thankful to arrive not long before sunset. Several rocks on the summit were coated with dense clusters of ladybugs.

The descent from Organ was uneventful, taking about 2 hours from summit to car. The moment I dropped back into Fillmore Canyon, the headlamp was out. It was peaceful plodding along the faint trail on the moonless night as the wind gradually died down and soon became silent.