...they are doing WHAT now? | spending a weekend in the Chiricahua’s

25 Jan spending a weekend in the Chiricahua’s

Posted at 11:50h in Arizona, Camping, Hiking, Road Trips, Van Life, What we did today by sarah 2 Comments

Friday November 10th – Sunday November 12th

It was bittersweet to leave Tucson with its giant saguaros speckling the mountain slopes above, but it was time to explore one more Arizona gem with my cousins – the Chiricahua mountains. We drove the scenic route through historic Tombstone, then around the southern tip of Chiricahua National Monument into the east side of the park. We snagged the established last campsite just as the sun was setting and prepared for a fun day of hiking and driving through the mountains the following day.

We woke Saturday morning up to towering cliffs and gorgeous golden sycamore trees, a perfect introduction to our epic day ahead.

We drove to the South Fork trailhead a few miles away and began a mellow 2-mile trek up a small dry creek bed. The trees had bright changing leaves and the cliff views carried through for the entire hike.

We drove to the South Fork trailhead a few miles away and began a mellow 2 mile trek up a small dry creek bed. The trees had bright changing leaves and the cliff views carried through for the entire hike.

After the hike, we drove the 15 miles of dirt road to the other side of the park. We saw many deer (and hunting parties camped along the way) and even a coati!

The drive was slow but incredible as we climbed above 7,000ft through the center of the park. The views to the east over New Mexico were dotted with shadows and hillsides. Finally we arrived to the other side of the park late afternoon, just in time to hit the visitor center before they closed.

We arrived at the other campground just in time for golden hour, and we hiked around the hillsides above our campsite.

Sunday we did a final hike at the end of the road, leaving from Massai Point and connecting with the looping trail system below. The weather was perfect once again, and Aaron and I chose a challenging, 5-mile overlook hike to Inspiration Point.