Chiricahua National Park
Trip Assistant
How Much Time?
The park is relatively small (12,025 acres), with one main road stretching about 8 miles from the park entrance to its conclusion at Massai Point. You'll find just 17 miles of official trails.
So, you can see/hike the highlights (Echo Canyon, Heart of Rocks, Lower Rhyolite Canyon) in a full day.
However, you should spend at least one night. The campground is nice (reservations required, available up to 3 months in advance from recreation.gov), the setting is sublime, and I feel pretty confident you'll be happy to catch a sunrise or sunset while you're here.
The only real downside is that there isn't much in term of accommodations nearby beyond the campground. If that isn't your thing, you'll have to stay about 30 minutes away in Wilcox, which is a small town off I-10. You'll find a variety of overnight accommodations and a Safeway for groceries.
The "National Park" may not take much time to explore, but it is surrounded by Coronado National Forest on 3 sides. Here you'll find several campgrounds and many more miles of hiking trails. A few notable destinations include: Cochise Head, Chiricahua Peak, John Hands Waterfall, and Barfoot Lookout.
Need to Know
- Reservations are required for camping.
- Staff permiting, the park runs a hiker shuttle during the busiest days (typically weekends, fall through spring). It's a one-way shuttle from Faraway Ranch to Massai Point or Echo Canyon. You must hike back to your car (5.7-9 miles). You'll descend about 1,500 feet in elevation along the way. It is not easy. It is beautiful, especially if you loop through Echo Canyon and Heart of Rocks.
- Visitation peaks during spring break in March/April.
- While most travelers avoid Arizona in summer, weather in these mountains can be pleasant, especially in the early morning.
- Visitation is nothing like Yosemite or Yellowstone, but remember how small it is. Parking at Massai Point and Echo Canyon is limited and fills up on the busiest days (hence the hiker shuttle).
- Rock climbing is not permitted within the park (loose volcanic rock).
- Pretty standard pet policy here. Your pet can essentially go where your car can go, and two trails (Bonita Creek and Silver Spur Meadow). They can also use the trail connecting the campground and visitor center.
Highlights
- Echo Canyon
- Heart of Rocks
- Massai Point
- Rhyolite Canyon
- Sugarloaf Mountain
- Natural Bridge
Activities
- Hiking
- Biking
- Stargazing
- Horseback Riding (bring your own horse)
- Birdwatching
Favorite Trails
Easy
Moderate- Echo Canyon Loop
- Sugarloaf Mountain (there's a lookout at the top)
- Natural Bridge Loop (while the canyon is pretty, the ending is a viewpoint of the bridge, it's quite a ways away across a canyon)
*Links to NPS.gov
When To Go?
Weather
Visitation
It’s another fall through spring park, but don’t rule out summer just because everyone talks about that insufferable (but dry) heat in the Southwestern United States. It’s actually not that bad (in the mountains).
Park Map Downloads
Road Trips
Helpful Tools
Below you'll see a Google Map to help plan road trips from the west (San Diego), east (White Sands/Albuquerque), or north (Grand Canyon/Flagstaff/Phoenix). It’s a good start, but I’d highly recommend making your own. And don't forget a few of the other places I mention in here. Coronado National Forest is right next door. Apache National Forest isn't too far away, and Gila National Forest is just across the Arizona-New Mexico border. Google My Maps, Wanderlog, Roadtrippers, and TripIt are incredibly useful trip planning tools. Find what works best for you!
There’s much more to our country. Here’s another Google Map with points of interest across all types of public land.
For campers, here’s a Google Map with National Forest campgrounds. National Park campgrounds are difficult to reserve (there are about 200!). With nearly 5,000 national forest campgrounds, you can usually pull in and find a spot.
Highlights
- Coronado National Forest (AZ) (Mount Lemmon, just north of Saguaro National Park's East District is also awesome and part of Coronado National Forest)
- Coronado National Memorial (AZ)
- Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (AZ)
- Gila National Forest (NM)
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