Arizona's 'Wonderland of Rocks': Chiricahua National Monument celebrates 100 years
One of Arizona’s strangest, most magnificent and underappreciated places will soon celebrate a milestone. On April 18, 2024, it will be 100 years since President Calvin Coolidge established Chiricahua National Monument. The monument is celebrating all weekend with a slate of free hikes, tours and other activities.
As an Arizona travel writer, I’m often asked about my favorite places. Where are the hidden gems? Unforgettable scenery? Best hiking? My answer to almost every question is Chiricahua National Monument.
Located in the southeastern corner of Arizona, the 12,000-acre park turns every visitor into a geologist as they ponder an otherworldly collection of gravity-defying rock formations.
Waves of serrated stone spread across the landscape where they form rows of mute and wounded skyscrapers. Massive columns, slender spires and impossibly balanced boulders loom above the timber. The pinnacles seem endless and rise hundreds of feet, yet no two are exactly the same — like fossilized snowflakes.
Called the "Land of Standing-Up Rocks" by the Apache warriors who took refuge here and the "Wonderland of Rocks" by the pioneers who came later, the Chiricahuas gnaw the clouds with broken teeth.
Why Chiricahua National Monument is worth visiting
About 27 million years ago a savage volcanic event lashed this corner of the world. The eruption, a thousand times more powerful than Mount St. Helens, spewed ash and pumice over 1,200 square miles. The mixture slowly cooled and fused into a tuff of rhyolite.
More eruptions followed before sputtering quiet, then the usual suspects — ice, water and wind — chipped away for a few eons of garden-variety erosion, carving the welded rhyolite into the array of exotic hoodoos that crown forested mountaintops in such a stunning fashion.
Of course, Chiricahua National Monument might not exist today if it weren’t for another force of nature — Lillian Riggs. The daughter of Swedish immigrants who moved into the area in 1888, Lillian became the strong-willed “Lady Boss” who ran the homestead as a guest ranch with her husband, Ed Riggs. She named it Faraway Ranch because it was so “godawful far away from everything.”
The couple promoted the landscape as worthy of protection. They touted the unique beauty and constructed riding and hiking trails. They gave tours to Arizona officials and wrote letters to Washington, D.C. Their lobbying efforts paid off in 1924 when Chiricahua National Monument was established. Today the Faraway Ranch Historic District preserves several buildings spread across the lower meadows.
Arizona's 4th national park?Seeking national park status for Chiricahua National Monument
Chiricahua Mountains: Arizona's sky islands
The Chiricahua Mountains are one of the prominent sky island ranges. Forested mountaintop islands float above a vast sea of desert and grasslands, creating lush habitats where none should be. This is Arizona’s rain forest, a hotbed of life.
You’ll find incredible diversity among these tightly stacked ecosystems. The highest concentration of mammals in the United States and more than half the species of birds in North America can be found amid the sky islands. Binoculars-toting birders travel from all over the world to add to their life lists. Many species — such as the elegant trogon and Rivoli’s hummingbird — reach the northern edge of their range here.
The mountains once provided a home for the Chiricahua Apaches. A nomadic people, they hunted game and gathered edible plants. They were fearless warriors and fiercely resisted colonization. Yet with the discovery of mineral wealth, more settlers streamed into the territory, leading to continued clashes. American troops were dispatched and campaigns were waged.
Always outnumbered, the Apaches used fighting skill and knowledge of the rugged terrain to their advantage, returning to the mountains that provided them with shelter and food. It ended in 1886 when a small band led by Geronimo finally surrendered to the U.S. Army.
Chiricahua National Monument things to do
My first visit to Chiricahua National Monument was in 1976. I’ve been hiking here for almost half of its century in existence. I’ve pitched my tent more nights in cozy Bonita Canyon Campground than anywhere else in the state. I saw my very first rattlesnake here, and plenty more since. The Chiricahuas are the only place where I’ve seen a coatimundi, which is the desert’s oddest critter, like a lanky raccoon that has had some cosmetic work done.
This is also the first place I ever took my wife hiking in Arizona. It was on our honeymoon. I needed her to see this stunning, startling place and if it didn’t absolutely devastate her, that would smack of the most irreconcilable of differences. We could divvy up the wedding gifts and go our separate ways. I’m happy to report that she’s still hanging around all these years later.
The 8-mile Bonita Canyon Drive provides an excellent introduction to the monument. The paved road makes a twisting climb through oak and pine woodlands with columns of stone looming overhead. There are pullouts along the way so you can stop and ogle it all. The scenic drive ends at Massai Point (elevation 6,870 feet), a high perch with 360-degree views of Rhyolite Canyon and surrounding mountain peaks.
Chiricahua National Monument hiking trails
But like most parks, Chiricahua National Monument is best enjoyed on foot. It holds a beautiful system of trails, many interconnected, so there’s no shortage of options. Here are a few favorite hikes:
Massai Point Nature Trail: At the end of Bonita Canyon Drive, walk around to soak up the big panoramas of distant mountains and deep-cut valleys on this easy 0.5-mile loop. The paved portion from the parking area to the exhibit building is wheelchair accessible.
Sugarloaf Trail: Hike this trail (1.8 miles round trip) along a moderate ridgeline to snag the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, one of the highest points in the monument (7,310 feet), still crowned by an old fire lookout tower.
Echo Canyon Loop: This route uses the Echo Canyon, Hailstone and Ed Riggs trails for a moderate 3.3-mile journey through spectacular rock formations into a lush cove punctuated by a stuttering little stream that flows seasonally. Hike counterclockwise for a gentler ascent. For those who can’t manage the entire loop, you can venture to the Echo Canyon Grottoes (1 mile round trip), an exotic corridor of intimate formations.
Heart of Rocks Loop: The most striking pinnacles can be found on this short loop, a mystical stone gallery bristling with fanciful formations like Camel’s Head, Punch and Judy, Thor’s Hammer and Duck on a Rock. The easiest access to Heart of Rocks is a 7.3-mile hike that comes via a trio of trails: Ed Riggs, Mushroom Rock and Big Balanced Rock.
Other trails form loops through canyons and forests. Consult the park map for trail lengths, elevation changes and degree of difficulty to select the right outing for you.
Do you have to pay to get into Chiricahua National Monument?
No. Chiricahua National Monument is free to enter. There's a fee for camping in Bonito Canyon Campground.
What is the closest city to Chiricahua National Monument?
Chiricahua National Monument is 36 miles southeast of Willcox, Arizona. It has lodging, restaurants, wine tasting rooms, grocery shopping and other services.
Lose yourself for a while
Chiricahua National Monument is a lost land, a strange portal. It is perhaps the most exotic spot in Arizona you can reach via paved road.
When I yearn to tumble off the edge of the known world, I come here and walk among these fractured towers, these ruddy troll bones. I touch the cool skin of ancient magma. The blast furnace of volcanoes has fallen silent, replaced by a cheery chorus of birdsong trilling from the branches and echoing through a garden of stone.
Chiricahua National Monument
Where: From Willcox, drive south on State Route 186 for 32 miles to the junction of SR 181. Turn left and proceed 4 miles to the park.
Admission: Free.
Camping: Bonito Canyon Campground has 25 campsites plus restrooms, running water and picnic tables. There are no RV hookups or showers. Cost is $20 per night. Make reservations at recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.
Pets: Leashed pets are allowed only on the trails between the campground, Faraway Ranch and the visitor center.
Details: 520-824-3560, www.nps.gov/chir.
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