Alt Text

Map of Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. Outlined in bright green, the roughly square-shaped area is shown in pale green with stepped edges along the southwest rim and mountainous terrain throughout.

Extended Description

Surrounded in the beige landscape of Coronado National Forest, the monument is labeled with scores of topographical features and other points of interest. This description will navigate through park sites and trails before ending with a transcription of the legend.

Along Bonita Canyon Drive

A dark orange line marks Bonita Canyon Drive as it weaves across the monument from west to east along the edge of Bonita Canyon. At the western end outside the park, an arrow points west with text that reads, "To Sunizona, Willcox, and Douglas.” Sites along or near the road from west to east include Erickson Cemetery; Bonita Creek with picnic area; a looping spur for Faraway, which has a picnic area; horse trailer parking; Faraway Ranch; and Stafford Cabin before the Visitor Center, about a third of the way along the road.

The next third includes Bonita Canyon campground at the edge of a figure eight-shaped branch extending from the road; Natural Bridge; Organ Pipe Formation; an unnamed pullout at 5,560 feet (1,695 meters); Sea Captain; and China Boy.

The final third of Bonata Canyon Drive passes an unnamed pullout at 5,560 feet (1,695 meters); Echo Canyon with a picnic area and pullout at 6,780 feet (2,066 meters) on a spur off the road; Sugarloaf with a picnic area and pullout at 6,840 feet (2,085 meter) at the end of a spur off the road; Exhibits; and Massai Point with a picnic area and self-guiding trail at 6,780 feet (2,094 meters) on a loop at the east end of Bonita Canyon Drive.

Trails

All but three of fifteen color-coded trails are in the southeast quadrant of the park, south of Bonita Canyon Drive. Three of the fifteen trails are green for easy trails, ten are blue for moderate, and two are gray for difficult.

The green Bonita Creek Trail and Silver Spur Meadow Trail are north of Bonita Canyon Drive to the east. The blue Natural Bridge Trail is farther north, in the northwest quadrant of the park.

Now south of the road, the blue trails from west to east are Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail, Sugarloaf Trail, Echo Canyon Trail, Upper Rhyolite Canyon Trail, Ed Riggs Trail, Hailstone Trail, Inspiration Point Trail, Big Balanced Rock Trail, and Mushroom Rock Trail.

The Gray Sarah Deming Trail and Heart of Rocks Loops are among the southernmost trails between Rhyolite Canyon and Sarah Deming Canyon. The green Massai Nature Trail is near the Massai Point terminus of the road.

Legend

The legend in the top left corner reads as follows:

Dashed black line for Trail,

Narrow triangle for Distance indicator,

Green for Wilderness area,

Gray line for Unpaved road, and

Red line with semicircle for Pullout/parking.

The trail ratings are green with a circle for Easy, blue with a square for Moderate, and gray with a diamond for Difficult.

Text in the legend reads, “In 1976 Congress designated all of the park but the road corridor as wilderness. Ask about the regulations.”

A scale in the lower left corner measures distances of 0.5 and 1 kilometers and 0.5 and 1 miles. Text in the area reads, “Background features on this 3D map appear smaller than similarly sized features in the foreground because of perspective. Vertical exaggeration is used. Use topographic maps for hiking.” And “Private property exists within the national forest. Check with forest ranger for details.”