Chiricahua National Monument may be one of the most out-of-the-way places in the National Park System. It is about 120 miles southeast of Tucson, well off any main highways, and not too far from the New Mexico border.
Even though it is far off the beaten track, an expedition there is worth the effort. It is indeed a “Wonderland of Rocks.” It lies high in the Chiricahua Mountains, one of several southwest “sky island” mountain ranges surrounded by expansive desert grasslands.
When you enter the park, you come into Bonita Canyon at an elevation of 5,400 feet. Straight ahead of you lies the Organ Pipe formation (photo #1)….pinnacles of rock in weird formations that shoot straight into the sky. It is easy to see how they got their name.
Traveling the main highway, you pass more amazing rock formations on both sides of the road (photo #2). After a few of miles, you start to climb into mountains, headed for even more amazing rock formations at 6,800 feet at places called Echo Canyon, Sugarloaf and Massai Point (photo #3), where the road comes to an end.
The fascinating rock formations are all around you up here and there are many trails to take you inside the strange formations of pinnacles, columns, spires, and balancing rocks. The Apaches called this place “The Land of Standing-Up Rocks.”
Because of its volcanic origins, the rocks have some red tint to them, although not as intense of the red rock formations you find in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. But many are also are covered in a yellow-green lichen that gives the rock formations their unique colors.
On my first day there, I explored the park with my car mostly, stopping to take pictures here and there...just getting a feel for the place. Early the next morning, I headed up into the mountains to hike the Echo Canyon Trail to see these rocks close-up. And I was not disappointed. I also hiked a few other short trails with camera in-hand…then headed back down the mountain to shoot more photos inside Bonita Canyon.
My time there was limited to two days as I had to be back in Tucson for another event. But, I enjoyed my time there and the images I recorded.
These three pictures represent a larger view of some of the formations. In my next blog, I will show you some of the amazing photos I took of rock formations close up along some of the trails.
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