There's no doubt that Chiricahua National Monument is a memorable travel experience and a landscape photographer's dream.  I visited Chiricahua a couple months ago and finally have all the photos sorted and processed.  So it's time for an official photo roundup.  For more information on hiking trails, camping and directions to the monument, see my previous Chiricahua National Monument travel blog.

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Many ages ago a volcanic eruption deposited thousands of feet of ash and pumice across what would become south-eastern Arizona.  Eventually, after much erosion by rain and wind and a decree by President Calvin Coolidge, we ended up with Chiricahua National Monument.

The Chiricahua area is a captivating, almost-otherworldly wilderness.  Looking at the rock formations and steep valleys, you can easily understand how the area was the perfect base of operations for the Chiricahua Apache in the 1800s.  And in modern times, the remote and rugged landscape has kept most development at bay.

For nature lovers, hikers, photographers and bird watchers, the monument is about as good as it gets.  In fact, I was so impressed that I decided to dedicate a full length post to Chiricahua.  See my previous post on Southern New Mexico / Arizona here. 

What to Do There

As the official park brochure states, there are 17 miles of hiking trails to explore.  But this doesn't mean you have to hike 17 miles to see everything in the park.  You can get a good feel for the area by visiting Massai Point and Massai Nature Trail.  Massai Point was developed specifically as an overlook for the rugged national monument.  The Massai Nature Trail is an easy half-mile loop around the point.  Along the trail you will enjoy vistas to the west of Echo Park and to the south of Hailstone Valley and the Chiricahua Mountains. 

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