Chiricahua National Monument

My thirtysomething grandson Scott says that hiking the Heart of Rocks Trail in the Chiricahua National Monument is like being transformed into a hobbit and going to Tibet or stepping onto another planet.

At minimum it doesn’t seem like any other place in Arizona and probably the country, because of its imposing rock formations that swallow the hiker up in the shade. The trail starts at 5,366 feet and goes up to 6,870 feet, making this is a cool fall hike. Arizona Highways rates it as moderate and among the top 52 day hikes in the state.

National monuments are part of the national-park system and there are only three in Arizona: Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Chiricahua.

Among Arizona’s 90 designated wilderness areas this is the only name listed twice: Chiricahua National Monument is itself considered a wilderness area, and it borders Chiricahua Wilderness. The monument was established in 1976, covers 25,215 acres and is managed by the National Park Service, while the adjacent wilderness area was established in 1964, covers 87,700 acres and is managed by the National Forest Service. There are more than a dozen trails in this area, so the hiker can find as long or short a walk as desired.

Heart of Rocks is in the monument, but we also connected with the wilderness area at the start of the Bonita Creek Loop, which leads to Bonita Creek Trail. We also drove the scenic eight-mile Bonita Canyon Drive, which tops out at 9,763 feet and gives a great view of the wilderness as well as a short nature trail. Bonita Creek Loop and Massai Trail are short trails that are wheelchair-accessible.

Heart of Rocks Trail is only 1.1 miles, but you have to take other trails to get there, so this becomes a seven-mile hike and links to many other trails. The hike starts with Lower Rhyolite Trail at the monument’s visitor center, where deer and a woodpecker greeted us. The monument is also known as an important area for birdwatching, with resident redtailed hawks, horned larks, loggerhead shrikes, western kingbirds and many other species.

Beginning among Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pine, Apache pine, oak, cypress, sycamore, juniper and Douglas fir, much of the trail is shady among the imposing pinnacles and trees, some still showing off the fall colors when we were there. Not far up the trail the nonprofit Arizona Conservation Corps was doing necessary maintenance on these well kept trails. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the first trail here in 1934.

About 1.5 miles in, Rhyolite Trail connects with Sarah Deming Trail, which leads to Heart of Rocks Trail. The higher you climb, the better the views get of the seemingly never-ending hoodoos. The monument is also designated as an International Dark Sky Park, and I expect it’s amazing on a clear night.

The monument is home to many lizards and reptiles, and during our hike orange-backed mountain spiny lizards were prominent and sometimes posed for us.

The pinnacles took our breath away as we approached. Many of the formations have small descriptive signs. Duck Rock is my favorite, but Kissing Rock is also entertaining. Some of the others are Thor’s Hammer, Punch and Judy and Big Balanced Rock.

This is Chiricahua Apache land going back hundreds of years. Massai Point was known as Point of Rocks, and the Chiricahua Apaches referred to the pinnacles as ‘standing-up’ rocks. Massai Point is named for a warrior who stole a horse, escaped and was never seen again. Some say he still lives among the standing rocks.

The formations are made of rhyolite, a dense, fine-grained rock of volcanic origin. Fall and spring are the best time for the Heart of Rocks hike. Streambeds parallel much of the early part of the trail, and my only regret about our timing was that due to the recent lack of rain, the streams weren’t running. There are more than 1,200 plant species and varieties of wildlife here, including coatimundi, white-tailed deer and Chiricahua fox squirrel.

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The Chiricahua National Monument is 35 miles from Willcox, about two hours southeast of Tucson. From here it’s a long trip, but well worth it. It offers campgrounds and restrooms, and admission is free. For more information, call the visitor center at 520-824-3560.