Headed to Tucson a couple of days early for Thanksgiving, giving us time for some camping and hiking along the way. Towing our R-Pod trailer camper, we decided on the Chiricahua Mountains where there is a nice campground and some hiking in amazing geologic formations. From Willcox AZ one takes state roads south some 40 miles to the Chiricahua National Monument, situated in a deep narrow canyon on the western side of this isolated mountain range. Camping is in the Bonita Canyon Campground, a nice facility with water near every campsite. Most sites are small, particularly suited for tent camping (and it seemed nearly half of the campers were in tents), but big enough for our 17′ R-Pod. And the visitor’s center at the entrance has some quite interesting displays and information about the mountains and history in the surrounding area.
We arrived as dark was approaching, so we were focused on setting up the camper and didn’t see much scenery (except the flat desert Sulfur Springs Valley between the Dragoons and Chiricahuas on the drive from Willcox). The next morning, gathering our hiking gear (for -cool- temperatures), we drove into Bonita Canyon and were greeted with views of amazing rock formations, the phalanxes of columns for which these mountains are famous. ‘Tis about 4 miles from the campground to the trailhead, climbing some 500 feet through initially the narrow canyon, then ascending up the western side of the canyon to parking for the trailheads.
The Hike
Echo Canyon Loop Hike.Pat.2018-11-20
We had been advised to take the loop counterclockwise since the hike back up from lower elevations is more gradual than going clockwise, so that was our choice. The trail is very well used, rocky in places, and where the slope is steep the CCC (who carved out these trails back in the 30’s) has placed “stair steps”. From the beginning we were greeted with a multitude of tall rock columns, with large rocks balanced on the top of many of them. These columns covered the sides of the canyons, from the bottom to near the top. One is constantly wondering how they perch atop the columns (and wondering – what would happen if even a small earthquake were to happen). No written description, nor even photos, can adequately show this marvelous place.
We got up early the next morning and drove back up the road to Massai Point (just beyond the trailhead) to watch the rising sun flow into the canyons of hoodoos. This gave us another remarkable view of this Wonderland of Rocks.
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.67 miles
Elevation: start 6,784 ft, maximum 6,784 ft, minimum 6,261 ft
Gross gain: 523 ft. Aggregate ascending 1,220 ft, descending 1,222 ft
Maximum slope: 40% ascending, 39% descending, 7.9% average
Duration: 4:19
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I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
References
National Park Service:
Chiricahua – A Wonderland of Rocks
Bonita Canyon Campground
Hiking (link to hiking guide .pdf)
Arizona Important Bird Areas Program: Chiricahua Mountains IBA Trip
Anne’s Travels: Finishing the Chiricahua Loop: The Echo Canyon Trail
The American Southwest: Hiking in Chiricahua National Monument
AllTrails: Ed Riggs, Hailstone, and Echo Canyon Trail (and more at AllTrails)
