Senita Basin is a sheltered, low elevation area on the south side of the Puerto Blanco Mountains in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, home to the rare senita (pachycereus schottii) cactus, while Red Tanks Tinaja is a natural cavity along a small wash on the north side, where water remains for a long time after rainfall. These two locations are linked by a 3.2-mile trail, running between the Senita Basin picnic area, at the end of a short spur off the southern section of Puerto Blanco Drive, and a pull-out along the northern section of the drive.

The elevation change is minimal, and the scenery somewhat varied, changing from an open plain in the north, over a low ridge to the enclosed wash downstream of the Tinaja – beneath low summits of the mountains, and the more densely vegetated land of the basin. Even here, senita are not so common, but saguaro are plentiful, and a few organ pipes grow in the rockier areas on either side of the wash. Three other paths branch off, allowing for longer hikes – Baker Mine to the west, and two parts of the Senita Basin loop to the east, which lead to other sites, including Victoria Mine. Red Tanks Tinaja is the most popular destination, though none of the trails receive very much use.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on April 13, 1937.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was created as a way to preserve a representative area of the Sonoran Desert. The new monument was part of a movement in the National Parks to protect not just scenic wonders but also the ecological wonders of the country.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is the site of cultural resources that reflect long, widespread and diverse occupations by American Indian, Mexican, and European groups. The intersection of these three cultures is significant archaeologically, geographically, and internationally. Evidence of these cultures still remains today, and as you explore the monument, one cannot help but imagine what life was like living in the Sonoran Desert.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike on the Red Tanks Tinaja Trail.