Chiricahua Monument
One can travel purposely to Arizona to visit Grand Canyon, or can be in Tucson for any reason and still find a few hours to drive up Mt. Lemmon that’s practically a neighborhood of the city, but the scenic Chiricahua National Monument is off the beaten path; almost a private wilderness paradise for only the informed traveler. I’m here to divulge the secret.
First, you must have a car; there is no public transportation to the monument. It’s located 120 miles southeast of Tucson. Take I-10 east from Tucson to the first exit for Willcox. Travel three miles into town to the stoplight and turn right. Follow Arizona State Highway 186 for thirty-two miles to the junction of Arizona State Highway 181. Turn left and go four miles to the Chiricahua entrance station. Coming from the east on I-10, Willcox is about sixty-five miles into Arizona.
The Chiricahua Mountains were part of the traditional homeland of the Chiricahua Band of the Apache Indian nation. Chiricahua National Monument is one of the many U.S. national parks and monuments that came into being in the first third of the 20th century (1924), by which time the conflict with the Chiricahua Band had receded into the past. The primary purpose was to protect the rock formations for which the monument is famed.
Those rock formations are collection of weirdly-shaped pinnacles that fill the higher regions of the park, the remnants of a huge volcanic eruption about 25 million years ago. The park entrance is at an elevation of about 5000 feet. The trailheads for the main formations are at about 7000 feet, high enough that the visitor from the lowlands may notice the rarefied air; plan to be a little more winded than you expect when hiking, and allow a bit of extra time for your explorations. The high point in the Chiricahua Mountains is above 9000 feet, but lies outside the monument. Caution: As attractive an activity as it may seem, rock climbing is generally prohibited in the monument, the fragile rock formations are strictly look but don’t touch. They have been placed off limits to protect their scenic beauty.
Chiricahua National Monument is open all year. The Visitor Center is open daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. It is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Entrance fees is 5.00 per person, children 15 and younger are free. Pass is valid for seven days.
A few cautions: If you are traveling via a king sized recreational vehicle, hopefully you are towing a smaller vehicle with which to move about the park. Twenty-nine feet is the maximum allowable vehicle length beyond the visitor center. Be equipped with drinks and snacks; there are no vending machines, and there are no gas stations within the park.
The characteristic medium-to-large mammals of the park are the coatimundi and javelina (peccary), both more typical of areas to the south, and white-tailed deer, black bear and the occasional mountain lion, all more commonly associated with the mountainous regions to the north. Most of the larger animals are active at night and difficult to observe during daylight hours. The rock formations produce good hiding places for snakes, so be careful where you put your hands when hiking; your main chances for dangerous rattler encounters come from poking a hand into a rock crevice where a snake is resting or sunning. Other reptiles include all manner of lizards.
This fabulous but relatively unknown Arizona locale, the Chiricahua National Monument is flanked by plenty of hiking trails as well as scenic drives. The whole spectrum of rocks is so appealing that driving or hiking through them is an unexpected pleasure. Now the secret is out.
by Jim Woods
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