Aprox. 130 miles southeast of Tucson there is a “Wonderland of Rocks” that is known as Chiricahua (cheri-cow-wa) National Monument, where along 8-miles of a paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails, visitors discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 11,985 acre site; historic homeland of Geronimo and still known today as Apache territory.
The Chiricahua Mountains are one of the many "sky island" ranges in southern Arizona. They rise like islands from the surrounding grassland "sea". Plants and animals from four ecosystems; Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madre Mountains, Sonoran & Chihuahuan Deserts, meet here. Black bear, mountain lions, Arizona white-tail deer, coati-mundis, rattlesnakes & lizards, and a variety of birds all make this their habitat. And, while one species of skunk is usually fine in most places, you can find four species of skunk here, so be alert!
It’s a photographer’s dream place, although my lense can’t begin to capture the vast mountain range and sense of wilderness. Truly, a must visit should you get near this southeast corner of Arizona.
Elevation 8000 ft.........
leaving through grassland sea....
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