Organ Mountains- Onion Dome, Garlic Dome

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October 3, 2026

Onion Dome and Garlic Dome are two relatively nondescript summits in the central Organ Mountains, being overshadowed by some of the higher peaks behind them to the east. A few people have described them as one of the most enjoyable non-technical scrambles in the Organs. While the east sides of the domes connect to the main crest of the range without too much elevation change, their west sides drop 2,000 ft in under a mile, containing a maze of steep canyons and narrow aretes.

Peaks climbed 

Peak	Elevation	Topographic Prominence	Summit Coordinates (lat/lon)
Onion Dome	7,958 ft	226 ft	32.33196, -106.56823
Garlic Dome	7,996 ft	340 ft	32.33027, -106.56718

Total Stats

8.2 miles

3,340 ft gain/loss

I took the same route as others have done previously, ascending the Northwest Ridge of Onion Dome and descending a labyrinth of gullies and ridges west of Garlic Dome. My start time was well after 3pm and I had hoped to enjoy a sunset from the summit of one of the domes. The shortest route started from Dripping Springs Recreation Area, but I was dismayed to see that there was a gate which was locked at sunset. I drove west for a few miles and found a spot off Baylor Canyon Rd with no gate. This would add about 2 miles each way.

view of the Organs from Baylor Canyon Rd

My first mile of hiking followed an old roadbed southeast. This roadbed was faint enough that I would lose it a few times, but it was easy enough just walking across the relatively flat desert. Eventually I joined up with some of the dripping springs trails and wrapped around to the east side of Ice Canyon before locating a use-trail which branched east towards an old mine.

The use-trail was short lived and dead ended at a wide steep gully system which headed up northeast. I continued up this, aiming for a nondescript notch high above. I generally stayed above the lowest point in the gully as there was running water. The rock wasn't the best, but the scrambling was fun. There were many class 3 options on either side of the gully and I danced across these with ease. At one point I scrambled past some unnecessary chains drilled into the rock.

Once at the notch, I sidehilled north through some brush across low angled hillsides to access the Northwest Ridge of Onion Dome, following it for about 20 minutes to the summit. This ridge was exceedingly fun with several "sidewalk in the sky" sections. The climbing could be kept to class 3 if one desired, but it was the most fun to stay directly on the main arete where there were some class 4 moves.

Northwest Ridge of Onion Dome

I reached the summit of Onion Dome with over an hour of daylight to spare. I took a short break to drink some water and sign the register, then descended a short class 3 section south to the saddle between Onion and Garlic. 

The North Ridge of Garlic was a short and brushy affair. Staying east would avoid more of the brush but some amount of it was unavoidable. The last 50 ft contained a few class 3 moves.

There were great views from Garlic, but the views from Onion had been slightly better so I re-climbed to its summit to photograph the sunset.

After sunset, I re-downclimbed to the Onion-Garlic Saddle and descended a gully southwest. This was not a pleasant descent as the ground was loose and full of cacti and other prickly bushes. Down lower, the gully became horribly brush-choked as I thrashed through it in the dark, now with headlamp blazing. I had to pause a few times to pull cactus thorns out of my arms and legs after getting stabbed multiple times.

At 7,000 ft the gully widened and made an abrupt turn south. I continued west, ascending about 100 ft of elevation to access a ridge which dropped west. The moment I went up onto this ridge, the brush improved and I could move faster over the terrain.

I followed the ridge down west until it intersected the use-trail to the old mine I had used earlier to get to Onion Dome. From there I retraced my steps back to Baylor Canyon Rd, finding the cool night air pleasant.