7 Best Things to do in Chiricahua National Monument Arizona
Chiricahua National Monument, located in extreme southeastern Arizona, is a stunning landscape known for its interesting rock formations. This park is often referred to as a “Wonderland of Rocks,” this relatively lesser-known Arizona National Park Service Site offers a variety of things to do. Here’s a guide to help you explore all that Chiricahua National Monument has to offer and help you decide if it’s worth visiting in 2025.
Table of Contents
- Where is Chiricahua National Monument?
- When to visit Chiricahua National Monument
- Where to stay near Chiricahua National Monument
- Chiricahua National Monument Practical Information
- Best things to do in Chiricahua National Monument
- More About Arizona
Where is Chiricahua National Monument?
This lesser-known National Monument is located in Southeastern Arizona in the middle of nowhere. If you’re traveling on Interstate 10 between Arizona and New Mexico, Chiricahua National Monument is about 40 minutes detour from the nearest I-10 town of Willcox, Arizona.
When to visit Chiricahua National Monument
You can visit Chiricahua National Monument any time of year and due to its high elevation, it’s much cooler than most places in Arizona. The best temperatures for hiking are in spring and fall. If you visit in winter or very early spring, you’re likely to encounter snow.
I visited in December and temps were in the upper 50s, but there was no snow in the park. Regardless of when you’re visiting, always check park conditions before heading out, as this area is prone to snow and monsoon rains.
RELATED: The Abandoned Buckhorn Baths – Mesa, Arizona
Where to stay near Chiricahua National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument is located in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing in terms of hotels anywhere near here, so you’re best bet is to stay in Willcox, Arizona. Willcox has limited amenities, it’s the closest town for lodging and you’ll find lots of familiar chain hotels in the area, right off Interstate 10.
As for me, I did this in the middle of a road trip, and after my visit, stayed in Tucson, Arizona.
Camping
If you like camping, Chiricahua has one campground — Bonita Canyon Campground. The campground has 25 sites, each equipped with a picnic table and grill, and is open year-round.
Chiricahua National Monument Practical Information
Open year round.
No fee to enter the park.
One visitor center – open 8:30 – 4:30 daily.
Dogs are not allowed on any of the trails
Best things to do in Chiricahua National Monument
1. Drive the 8 mile Scenic Drive
If you don’t have time for anything else, the 8-mile scenic drive will take you throughout the span of the park, from the visitor center up to Massai Point. There are only a few scenic pullouts on the road itself, and most are on the left side of the road, so it’ll be easier pulling over when you come back down — honestly, the only notable place I saw to stop was to view the Organ Pipe Rock Formations – the best views are up at the top. The road dead ends at Massai Point, which has the park’s best vistas.
RELATED: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument – Flagstaff, Arizona
2. Walk the Massai Nature Trail
Once up at Massai Point, you can take the 0.5 mile round trip Massai Nature Trail. This is a mostly flat trail that leads you to several 360 degree viewpoints of Rhyolite Canyon where you can photograph therock formations.
I suggest wearing proper footwear — at least wear gym shoes. I did this hike in flip flops, thinking “Nature trail! It’s paved” and it is most definitely not smoothly paved the whole way! There are a lot of steps and places where you can trip!
3. Bird Watching
Chiricahua National Monument is a haven for birdwatchers, with the park on a migration pathway that brings an array of bird species through the area. The visitor center can provide you with a bird list and tips on the best spots for bird watching. When I visited, I saw a ton of Mexican Jays — they were so pretty and were flying around everywhere! I’m not into bird watching, but even I thought these were really cool.
RELATED: Visiting the Abandoned Fairbank Ghost Town
4. Do Another Hike in Chiricahua National Monument
One of the best ways to experience Chiricahua is by hitting the trails. The park features over 17 miles of hiking trails that range from easy to challenging. Although I didn’t have time to do any hikes outside of the Massai Nature loop, here are a couple of popular choices:
- Echo Canyon Loop: The Echo Canyon Loop is the most popular hike in the park. It’s a 3 mile loop and it’lll takes you through narrow passageways and alongside balancing rocks and grottoes.
- Sugarloaf Mountain Trail: For those looking to get a panoramic view of the surrounding area, the Sugarloaf Mountain Trail is perfect. This 1.8-mile round-trip hike is moderately challenging, leading to the highest viewpoint in the park.
5. Visit the Faraway Ranch
Shortly after the local Apache were relocated from this area, Swedish immigrants, the Ericksons, established a homestead in the Chiricahua Mountains. Their homestead eventually turned into a guest ranch, offering visitors the chance to stay and experience the beauty of the region. Today, the ranch is recognized as a historic district within Chiricahua National Monument. Currently, the large ranch home is closed for renovations but the National Park Service will be re-opening it for tours again hopefully soon. Even though you can’t go inside the buildings, you’re free to walk around the area. When I visited, I was the only one here and it was eerily quiet, almost spooky!
RELATED: Abandoned Lisa Frank Warehouse Factory located in Tucson, Arizona
6. Stargazing
Chiricahua National Monument is one of the International Dark Sky Parks and is great for stargazing. If you’re going to do this, I suggest camping in the park, as there are no hotels for 40 miles.
7. Check out the Visitor Center
Don’t forget to check out the Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center. You can check out exhibits on the park’s wildlife, history and geology. The visitor center has a small gift shop with your typical National Park Service items for sale: maps, books, stuffed animals, t-shirts, magnets and more. And, of course, you can get your National Park Passport book stamped here — can’t forget that!
That about wraps it up! I wish I had more time to do one of the longer hikes. I really enjoyed this National Park Service site and I hope to get back here again. It’s definitely worth the 80 minute (round trip) detour from I-10 if you’re in the area!
More About Arizona
WHERE TO GO / WHAT TO SEE IN ARIZONA: Check out all of the posts on Arizona on this blog here.
US NATIONAL PARK UNITS IN ARIZONA: Did you know Arizona has 22 National Park Service units? I wrote about them all here. Some of my favorite NPS sites in Arizona are Organ Pipe National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument – Flagstaff, Arizona.
OFF-THE-BEATEN PATH ARIZONA: Looking for something else? Here are some lesser-known sites in Arizona that you might want to check out: Abandoned Lisa Frank Warehouse, Fairbank Ghost Town, Agua Caliente Regional Park, and The Abandoned Buckhorn Baths.
ROUTE 66: The famous Route 66 runs through part of Northern Arizona. If you’re thinking of doing a Route 66 road trip, check out my Route 66 tips.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY: If you love taking photos when traveling, don’t miss my article on how to Improve your Travel Photos with these 7 Lesser Known Travel Photography Tips
