Located in the southeast corner of Arizona, the Chiricahua National Monument protects the land of the Chiricahua Apache “standing up rocks” and a unique sky island ecosystem. A sky island is an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland and desert. The spires and rock pinnacles loom over the road like guardians of the forest. This wonderland of rocks formed from volcanic ash which melted together to form rhyolite. Erosion from water and ice has created the formations present today.
There is no entrance fee for Chiricahua
The pinnacles can be viewed from the scenic drive
Four separate ecosystems, Rocky Mountains (north), Chihuahuan Desert (east), Sierra Madrean (south) and the Sonoran Desert (west) converge in the Chiricahua Mountains. This convergence creates an unusual mix of flora and fauna that are not usually seen together. The mountains rise to 9,763 feet. The Monument was created in 1924 and covers 12,025 acres with 84% designated wilderness.
A wide range of trees and plants are found here
We made a day trip from Tucson, where we were staying at the Tucson KOA, which is about a 2 hour drive (one way). Visitors should stop at the Visitor Center for a map of the monument. Vehicles longer than 29 feet are not allowed past the visitor center. Bonita Canyon Drive is an 8 mile scenic road through the formations. There is a small primitive (no hook-ups) campground which can only be accessed by vehicles less than 29 feet. There are numerous picnic areas and hiking trails in the Chiricahua Monument. Most trailheads have vault toilets. A water filling station is available at the visitor center.
Hiking trails are a great way to see the rock formations
Mike along the Hailstone Trail
We chose to hike a loop hike starting from the Echo Canyon trailhead. We combined Ed Riggs Trail, Hailstone Trail and Echo Canyon Trail for a hike of 3.3 miles. There is about 500 feet elevation change from the trailhead to the lowest point of the loop. Parts of the trail went through a shady canyon and other sections were in very sunny open terrain. Bring sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water. Due to the higher elevation, the temperatures were at least 10 degrees cooler than in Tucson. We really enjoyed our hike which included uneven terrain, rock steps, and loose scree. The scenery was spectacular. In addition all of rock formations, we saw numerous birds and lizards. Mike and I agreed we would like to return to Chiricahua for a longer visit.
The trail wound through forested areas
The Hailstone Trail is more open
One of the numerous lizards we spotted
Another lizard
Trails were well marked at junctions
There were numerous stair sections on the trail
The trail wound through narrow rock passages
Endless views of unique rock formations were the highlight
An expansive view from the trail
