If you want to get away from the winter blues, and you’re tired of fighting the crowds in Florida and California resort cities, try the warm desert air and magnificent uncrowded views in Arizona. A hundred miles west of Tucson, between the town of Ajo and the US-Mexican border, is one of the most majestic stands of huge saguaro cactus in the world.

Organ Pipe National Monument is a Federally-managed park, a protected stretch of desert of more than 330,000 acres. This unique variety of cactus, which is not found anywhere else, is called organ pipe because its soaring spikes grow close together, resembling a church organ. They rise as high as 40 feet, dwarfing visitors who walk reverently among them.

There are considerably more reasons to visit the Monument area than just to stroll among the huge cacti. You'll find many hiking trails, campgrounds, all-year warm, dry Arizona weather, many varieties of wildflowers and other desert flora. In early May through July, as if saluting springtime, large pinkish white flowers festoon the cacti. All around them, smaller varieties of cacti in the Monument area add to the seasonal display with brilliant blossoms, ranging from brilliant scarlet, corn yellow, and lavender white.