Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption of immense proportions shook the land around Chiricahua National Monument. One thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the Turkey Creek Caldera eruption eventually laid down two thousand feet of highly silicious ash and pumice. This mixture fused into a rock called rhyolitic tuff and eventually eroded into the spires and unusual rock formations of today. The monument is a mecca for hikers and birders. At the intersection of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts and the southern Rocky Mountains and northern Sierra Madre in Mexico, Chiricahua plants and animals represent one of the premier areas for biological diversity in the northern hemisphere.
Of historic interest is the Faraway Ranch, a pioneer homestead and later a working cattle and guest ranch. It is a significant example of human transformation of the western frontier from wilderness to the present settlement. Faraway Ranch offers glimpses into the lives of Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson and their children. The house is furnished with historic artifacts which not only give us reminders of our youth and our ancestors, but one can also trace the development of technology during the first half of the twentieth century.
Nature & Science
In the far southeastern corner of Arizona are the beautiful Chiricahua Mountains, one of several “sky island” mountain ranges surrounded by expansive desert grasslands. The Chiricahua Mountain Range is an inactive volcanic range twenty miles wide and forty miles long. It forms part of the Mexican Highland section of the Basin and Range Biogeographical Province and rises up dramatically from the valley floor to over nine thousand feet, cresting in a series of uneven, volcanic looking peaks. At the northern end of the range is an extraordinary area of striking geological features and enormous biodiversity. Tucked deep into these steep, forested valleys and beneath the craggy peaks are the remains of violent geological activity that continued for many millions of years the pinnacles, columns, spires and balanced rocks of Chiricahua National Monument. The Apaches called this place ‘The Land of Standing-Up Rocks’, a fitting name for an extraordinary rock wonderland. Early pioneers in the late 1800’s sensed the unique beauty and singularity of the rock formations in the area. They were instrumental in persuading Congress to protect this Wonderland of Rocks’, so much so that in 1924 the Chiricahua National Monument was created.
There are approximately twelve thousand acres of wild, rugged terrain within which the rock formations and a great ecological diversity are protected. In 1976, Congress decided to further preserve the land, designating 87% of the monument as Wilderness. This precludes any development and human intervention, thus ensuring the preservation of the geological formations for future generations and the continuation of undisturbed space and habitat for the many unique plants and animals that are found in this special region.
As well as the exceptional geological aspects of this park, the monument hosts a biological crossroads, a meeting-place of four different ecological regions. In the Chiricahua Mountains, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and the Rocky Mountain and Sierra Madre ranges all meet. The convergence of these four biomes makes this area unusually rich in both floral and faunal biodiversity. Rocky Mountain representatives such as the Ponderosa pine and Engelmann spruce co-exist beside the Soap tree yucca from the Chihuahuan desert.
There are five major drainages within the monument, several with intermittent creeks that support a mixture of deciduous and evergreen woodlands. The heavily forested canyons provide habitat for numerous wildlife, including coatimundi, white-tailed deer, javalina and many species of birds; over three hundred bird species are found in the Chiricahua Mountains, some of whom have migrated north from Mexico.
The Chiricahua Mountains are part of the Madrean Archipelago, a collection of forty neighboring mountain groups that lie between the Colorado Plateau and the Sierra Madre Occidental. It is so named because it resembles an oceanic archipelago a sea dotted with islands only here the sea is hot desert grassland. We call these isolated mountain ranges sky islands’. The Chiricahuas are a perfect example of a sky island that formed during the Basin and Range faulting.
Recreation
Cruise the eight mile scenic drive to Massai Point, tour Faraway Ranch, hike the Echo Canyon Loop trail (3.5 miles). Interpretive programs including talks, guided walks and evening campground programs are presented in spring, March-May and fall, September-October. Check the schedule at the Visitor Center for specific times and places.
Chiricahua features 17 miles of maintained trails in a monument that is 87% designated wilderness. Trails vary in degree of difficulty. The Echo Canyon Trail and the Heart of Rocks Trail offer spectacular views of balanced rocks, spires and pinnacles. Pets (dogs) are not permitted on these trails. The free hikers shuttle leaves the Visitor Center every day at 8:30 a.m.. Park staff drive you to the upper canyon trailheads so you may hike back down the canyon. Seating is very limited.
Getting There
By Plane
Airline service to Tucson (120 miles) is available with rental cars also available.
By Car
Chiricahua National Monument is located 120 miles east of Tucson. Exit Interstate 10 at Willcox and follow State Route 186 36 miles to the monument.
Obtain gas in Willcox; gasoline is not available at or near the monument.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Chiricahua National Monument
13063 E. Bonita Canyon Road
Willcox, AZ 85643-9737
Phone: 520-824-3560
Fax: 520-824-3421
Operating Hours & Seasons
Visitor Center: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily; closed Christmas Day. Peak season is from March - May.
Weather/Climate
Temperatures are generally mild with summer daytime highs in the upper 90’s and nighttime lows in the 50’s. Winter daytime highs range in the 50’s to 60’s and nighttime lows are typically in the upper teens or low twenties but can dip into the subzero range. Moisture is evenly distributed, half during the winter as snow, half in the summer as rain. Daily thunderstorms can occur from July through September.
