It was so nice, I laid in the bed of my truck and took a catnap for a half-hour before packing up, changing into dry clothes and proceeding home. Chiricahua offers a range of day hiking options from easy to strenuous. A hike up Chiricahua will give you the county highpoint of Cochise County and one of the 57 "Ultra" prominent peaks in the lower-48 states, with over 5,000 . Past the campgrounds and trailheads at Rustler Park, we drove to the guard station buildings and found the gate to a lesser road leading to Long Park. Map. We followed the Crest Trail south, contouring past Flys Peak, coming to a meadow at Round Park, then contoured around smaller peaks before coming to Cima Park ("Park" is used in these cases to refer to saddles along the range crest). Chiricahua offers a range of day hiking options from easy to strenuous. I tried to go underneath as often as I could, preferring not to touch or put any weight on these massive logs. Photo by Bradley R. [12] Subsequent erosion has created mountain ridges covered in stone spires and stone columns, hoodoos, that rise up out of the forest. If I could get us there, our hike would be relatively short. Lots 7, 8, & 9. The weather had been mild and I hoped the snow had melted off. Soaptree yucca and century plant are also common. Vehicles longer than 24 feet (RV or vehicle + trailer) are NOT permitted on the scenic drive beyond the campground. You can now make campground reservations online. [2], Following the transition to ceramics,[3] artifacts characteristic of both Mogollon culture and its local variants, the Mimbres culture, are found. The creek itself had running water down low, fed by springs. The Chiricahua Mountains and other associated ranges, along with Sulphur Springs Valley on the west and the San Simon Valley on the east, form the eastern half of Cochise County in southeast Arizona. I hiked a mile in soft snow, but the snow was up to my hips. The weather was spectacularbreezy and cool, but not cold. The most popular route comes in from the north via Rustler Park campground, high on the main range crest.   The weather was spectacularbreezy and cool, but not cold. Scrambling through hundreds of trees on their sides is quite difficult, the tangle of logs and branches nearly impenetrable. 85643, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Water was flowing well at Ojo spring sept 2020. I eased the truck down the road and from Rustler Park, we drove down to the Chiricahua National Monument. . A one to two mile wide band of sedimentary rock running southeast to northwest from south of Portal through Paradise and up to the Dos Cabezas Mountains is the source of mineralized deposits. The creek itself had running water down low, fed by springs. [7] Page 149 of 149. After gathering my gear and talking with some guy camping, I hit the trail. Learn about people who have called Chiricahua home over the years. Parts were nice, parts had downed trees and branches obstructing the way, and all of it was covered under a heavy mat of pine needles, cones and leaves. At the top, the trail began a short but steep series of switchbacks. Cochise County, Arizona. Gelemenovo. The story begins in the earliest days of European settlement in Arizona the late 17th century, when Spanish missionaries from Mexico and Santa Fe began to push into the Sonoran Desert, then a. Quality of the trail ranged from good to scant. Parts of the trail were completely obscured, but periodic cairns alerted me to the route. NEVER WEAR SHORTS! Later that afternoon, we made another 3-mile hike to the Fort Bowie National Historic Site, where the Army set up camp to help fight the Apache Wars against Cochise and Geronimo. The hike itself wasn't bad. Distance Learning Tons of downed trees and leaning trees, & dead trees everywhere. Print a Map Plus. Thankfully, this segment wasn't too long and soon I arrived at the summit, exactly three hours after starting my hike. A talus field (with no trees) allowed for excellent views all the way down to the desert floor. After another three-quarters of a mile, it crossed the creek bed, then paralled up the left side for another 1.5 miles. I can tell the condition used to be pretty good but definitely need more maintenance at this moment. I took the "lower" one, the one literally in the creekbed (the "upper" one's trailhead is about a half-mile west of the lower's trailhead, but there is no convenient parking for that trailhead). Like my first time here, the top is wooded and blocks most views. The Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center is 5,400 feet (1,646 meters) above sea level. The Pedregosa Mountains are found at the southern end of the Chiricahua Mountains, while the Swisshelm Mountains are located to the southwest. Then it moves back into a burn area as you make your last climb to the top. It is the highest summit in the Chiricahua Mountains and the highest point in Cochise County. The benchmark's elevation is listed as 9,795 feet, which is probably a mistake. The towers can be a hundred+ feet tall, and look like they're going to topple over in a breeze. Chiricahua Peak is easy to climb, with a few possible starting points ranging from half-day hikes to longer overnighters. We enjoyed ourselves and it was nice to be back, especially with B.. After about 20 minutes, we started the leisurely hike out, following the same route as we took coming up. The trail leads through some pretty meadows. Trees down everywhere, trail is washed out in a few places. I was back home just in time to catch The Simpsons on TV. We drove the roads and took a walking tour of Faraway Ranch, the home of the Ericksons, homesteaders whose efforts led to the formation of the Chiricahua National Monument years later. In the breeze, I grew chilled quickly, and happy to have summitted, I started down. beltane edition may 1, 1984 the no-compromise environmental journal vol. Second Visit, November 2003: and I planned to hike another Arizona county highpoint while the weather state-wide remained mild. As with the rest of the Chiricahua Mountains, the peak was formed as the result of a violent volcanic . [10][11] The last major eruption, 27 million years ago, created the Turkey Creek Caldera and laid down 2,000 feet (610m) of volcanic ash which fused into welded rhyolite tuff. Chiricahua Mountains (c) 2000 - 2019 Scott Surgent. Mileage from I-10: about 35.The roads are mostly passable by passenger vehicles except in the wettest weather.There are other possibilities to approach this peak as well. I was back home just in time to catch The Simpsons on TV. The summit is marked by a benchmark in a boulder situated at the base of a large tree. These relics span the period from 150 BCE 1450. To my knowledge none of these are visible on any standard route up Chiricahua Peak. I had a choiceloop south then east and approach the summit from the southeast, or loop north. However, I could readily see some of the nearby peaks such as Anita Peak. The other notable attraction in these mountains is the Chiricahua National Monument, which features thousands of spires and "hoodoos", formed by the erosion of the tuff that resulted from the eruption. MM BH Pass . We suited up and got things in order, starting the hike at 9:10 a.m. From Long Park, we followed a mostly-level trail south for two-thirds of a mile to the Crest Trail (Trail 270). The mountains and the eponymous highpoint get their name from the Chiricahua band of Apache Indians, who lived and roamed these lands for centuries before becoming part of the United States after the Gadsden Purchase in 1854. 2.5h up 1.5h down. Chiricahua Peak is the highest peak of the range, but not that obvious from down below. Gain: 500 feet Lots of trees provide food and shelter for wildlife. The fort was decommissioned in 1894 and today is just stone foundations and the occasional adobe walls that look like they're melting into the earth. Phone +1 520-824-3560. The Apache, of course, wanted no part of this, and for the better part of 30 years, fought a guerrilla-style war against American explorers and settlers in this region. The day was mild but cold, and snow from a recent storm still everywhere.   We enjoyed ourselves and it was nice to be back, especially with B.. After about 20 minutes, we started the leisurely hike out, following the same route as we took coming up. I went in February after a month-long dry spell and encountered just patches of snow and ice near the top. A collection of horror stories, urban legends, and the occult from Arizonas unexamined past. Gain: 3,300 feet in 2000, 700 feet in 2003 When to Climb The best time to climb this peak would be spring or fall. Prominence: 661 feet Very slow going when you have to crawl under, and over all the fallen trees. There aren't any views from the summit, unfortunately. The Chiricahua Mountains massif is a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico; the range is part of the Coronado National Forest. Arizona The exit took 90 minutes, and our hike had required just 4 hours. I tried to go underneath as often as I could, preferring not to touch or put any weight on these massive logs. So learned the early Jesuit priests of southern Arizona and northerns Mexicos missions, who came to bring their version of a Spanish, Catholic God to the tribes of the Sonoran Desert, and who instead, according to legend, ended up fighting a 150-year war with a necromancer they unwillingly brought with them. Performance & security by Cloudflare. I followed Turkey Creek Road into the range to the Mormon Creek trailhead area. Find a trail and get outside! Much of current-day Cochise County had been formed into an Indian Reservation, but new settlers thought the area could be better put to use, e.g. [email protected]. The creek itself had running water down low, fed by springs. Chiricahua Mountain Range (massif), and its sub-Ranges, with the bordering valleys. Since the wildfire that went thru here years ago, the area is pretty devastated. Most of the band was relocated to the San Carlos Reservation about 100 miles to the north, but a renegade faction lead by Geronimo fought a guerrilla war during 1882-1886 until he was caught and sent into internal exile. . I followed the same route as I had come up. With this ascent, I had my 11th Arizona County highpoint completed, a task I would finish a few months later. The weather was spectacularbreezy and cool, but not cold. I tried to go underneath as often as I could, preferring not to touch or put any weight on these massive logs. The trailhead's elevation is approximately 6,400 feet. In the breeze, I grew chilled quickly, and happy to have summitted, I started down. There are other sites in Turkey Creek and along Rucker Canyon Road. The range is a result of a massive volcanic event, the Turkey Creek eruption, from 27 million years ago. Prominence: 5,139 feet The fort was decommissioned in 1894 and today is just stone foundations and the occasional adobe walls that look like they're melting into the earth. Because of this, over 1000 plant species grow within the Monument's boundary, and many are endemic only to the Chiricahua Mountains. I followed the same route as I had come up. The road requires high clearance and 4wd is recommended. The weather was spectacularbreezy and cool, but not cold. A large fire from a couple years ago had defoliated much of this part of the mountain and the burn scars were still evident. Crossing these obstacles was easy at first, but soon, especially on the final approach heading south of the saddle to the peak, the quantity of deadfall was enormous. The Chiricahua Mountains are an uplifted structural block of the Basin and Range. However, I could readily see some of the nearby peaks such as Anita Peak. Time: 1 hour There is so much trail maintenance needed on this trail, it's a shame it's not been done. Grasslands and desert cover the base of the range, with ponderosa pine and Douglas fir at the highest elevations. Washes wind through the park and flow when there is a lot of snowmelt or if there is a monsoon. Chiricahua Peak is the highest peak of the range, but not that obvious from down below. Only then was the region "safe" for outside settlement. . Visit the Faraway Ranch Historic District to discover more about the people who have called this area home. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Learn more about Faraway Ranch. "Chiricahua National Monument Geology Footnotes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chiricahua_Peak&oldid=1114269427, This page was last edited on 5 October 2022, at 17:10. From point 8,700, I proceeded south a half-mile to the Chiricahua Saddle, elevation 9,100 feet. From here it was a consistently moderate uphill grade along nice wide trail. Much of the peak was severely burned in recent times, which creates vast open views across the landscape. It was $3 to park at the Rustler Park TH in November 2003, or $10 to camp. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over &1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 20,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. I followed the same route as I had come up. Going up and over them was often impossible. Distance: 2 miles Elevation: 7,310 feet It was hunting season and we came upon a father and son sitting along the trail, rifles on their laps. For entertainment purposes only. Kudos! We suited up and got things in order, starting the hike at 9:10 a.m. This report is not meant to replace maps, compass, gps and other common sense hiking/navigation items. Chiricahua is about 120 miles east of the major city of Tucson, which has good air service. The Chiricahua Mountains dominate southeast Arizona. The benchmark's elevation is listed as 9,795 feet, which is probably a mistake. The mountains contain Precambrian basement rocks, Paleozoic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks around a caldera complex formed by volcanic eruptions and intrusions 3525 million years ago. It was so nice, I laid in the bed of my truck and took a catnap for a half-hour before packing up, changing into dry clothes and proceeding home. 1) is east-southeast of Tucson, Ariz., in the Chiricahua Moun tains. [1] Chiricahua National Monument has a great variety of trees and shrubs. I left home at 4:15 a.m. and arrived to the range by 8:00 a.m. With each turn of the switch backs, your asking is this going to be it or is there another one? It is flat for a few hundred yards, then swings left, where a sign mentions the distance to the peak as 5 miles. [citation needed], The name Chiricahua is believed to originate from the Opata name for the mountains, Chiwi Kawi, meaning "Turkey Mountain". I decided to follow the Crest Trail (signed) north to the saddle between Chiricahua and Anita Peaks, elevation 9,500 feet. Ecommerce; motivational interviewing spirit. The road segment to Long Park is rough, needing 4-wheel drive, but I took it slow and we arrived at Long Park in cool, clear conditions. Then the trail parallelled the creek on the right as one faces uphill. The summit is marked by a benchmark in a boulder situated at the base of a large tree. A large fire from a couple years ago had defoliated much of this part of the mountain and the burn scars were still evident. We spent a little more time here, trying to see things from various points around the summit area. I took the "lower" one, the one literally in the creekbed (the "upper" one's trailhead is about a half-mile west of the lower's trailhead, but there is no convenient parking for that trailhead). At a Glance General Information Directions: From Tucson, take I-10 east 81 miles. We drove the roads and took a walking tour of Faraway Ranch, the home of the Ericksons, homesteaders whose efforts led to the formation of the Chiricahua National Monument years later. Our "hunt" had been a success. From Long Park, we followed a mostly-level trail south for two-thirds of a mile to the Crest Trail (Trail 270). Enjoy this 8.6-mile out-and-back trail near Rodeo, New Mexico. The weather was breezy but nice, with temperaturess around 50. We spent a little more time here, trying to see things from various points around the summit area. Distance: 2 miles In Chiricahua, this is an oak woodland or riparian forest. Chiricahua Peak is easy to climb, with a few possible starting points ranging from half-day hikes to longer overnighters. From here it was a consistently moderate uphill grade along nice wide trail. The largest of the mines developed in the California district of the Chiricahua Mountains was the Hilltop mine which consisted of 3 interconnected levels totaling 6,098 metres (20,007ft). Johnson Peak Loop. It is flat for a few hundred yards, then swings left, where a sign mentions the distance to the peak as 5 miles. The views at the named peak were better than at the highpoint, with views straight into La Barge . There is one stretch of this, once you climb out of the canyon and traverse along the first big switchback, that is back into old forest like you expect from Southern Arizona's island ranges. These natural features, preserved in the Chiricahua National Monument, are composed of Rhyolite Canyon Tuff. After hiking the steep switchbacks, the trail converged with the upper Mormon trail, meeting at an elevation of 8,700 feet. We met another group back at my truck at Long Park. The hike down was quick, although the loose rocks were more treacherous as I moved downhill. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 8 h 39 min to complete. Discover 2,831 listings of land for sale, 1 - 10 acres, under $25K. Hot dry exposed the whole way but trail clear. I didn't have any plans, so I decided to go back to the Chiricahua Range on a whim. The summit team With this ascent, I had my 11th Arizona County highpoint completed, a task I would finish a few months later. The range takes its name from the Chiricahua Apaches native to the region. Chiricahua Mountains Past the campgrounds and trailheads at Rustler Park, we drove to the guard station buildings and found the gate to a lesser road leading to Long Park. I followed the same route as I had come up. Tourism in Southern Africa is synonymous with the wildlife safari. Address. Teammates: At the top, the trail began a short but steep series of switchbacks. In any case, tensions once again rose and sporadic battles broke out. 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