Chiricahua National MonumentPágina 19 de 32
Chiricahua National Monument: a Wonderland of Rocks on an Arizona Sky Island
Chiricahua National Monument is about rocks. A National Park Service park guide invites visitors to explore its "Wonderland of Rocks" in Arizona, learn about the people who lived there and experience being on a Sky Island.
Entering the park along Bonita Canyon Drive. NPS photo.
The rocks
Bonita Canyon Scenic Drive winds eight miles from the entrance to Massai Point, where the road ends. From there you see hundreds of rock pinnacles that the guide calls weird, unique and almost human-like. With some imagination they look like a camel, a person, a building or a character.
Big Balanced Rock is one of the monument's most impressive formations. NPS photo.
Hiking
The monument has more than 17 miles of trails, from an easy paved stroll to all-day treks in the wilderness.
| Trail | Difficulty | What the guide says |
|---|---|---|
| Echo Canyon Trail | moderate loop | goes in and among the rock formations, with a grotto to explore |
| Sugarloaf Mountain | moderate | leads to the park's high point, with views of the surrounding mountains and both valleys |
| Heart of Rocks Loop | strenuous | passes balancing rocks that look fragile but stand because the rock is so strong |
Dogs are welcome on three trails: Silver Spur Meadow, Faraway Ranch and Bonita Creek. They pass through the historic district, with shade and many kinds of trees, plants and birds.
A Sky Island
Sky Islands are isolated mountain ranges that rise from the surrounding desert like islands from a sea, and there are several in southeast Arizona. As the elevation changes, so do the plants, animals and weather. Within the park's 11,985 acres are desert, grassland, deciduous forest (trees that lose their leaves seasonally) and coniferous forest (fir and pine). Eighty-six percent of the park is designated wilderness. Coatimundis, raccoon-like animals from Central America, live throughout the monument.
A coatimundi. NPS photo.
People of the place
This is the territory of the Chiricahua Apache and their leader Cochise. The Apache once traveled with the seasons, thriving through the cycles of their environment. The guide also points to the story of Faraway Ranch, where a one-room cabin became a guest ranch through the work of the Erickson-Riggs women.
Nights and seasons
Visitors can camp at Bonita Canyon Campground, which the guide says has some of the darkest night skies. On a clear night the Milky Way stretches overhead, along with meteors and many stars. All four seasons, the guide says, give a different view of the park, and its calendar lists ranger programs through the year.
Sources
- National Park Service, "National Park Getaway: Chiricahua National Monument" (https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/getaway-chir.htm), written by a park guide at the monument. A picture of a ranger-led group is left out.
- National Park Service's page; rewritten in hubnx's own words.