Chiricahua National Monument

Drive and hike through a maze of rhyolite spires and balanced rocks in the Chiricahua Mountains.

12856 E Rhyolite Creek Rd · Willcox, AZ

About Chiricahua National Monument

About 36 miles southeast of Willcox, this monument protects hoodoos and balancing rocks eroded from volcanic ash laid down roughly 27 million years ago. The 8-mile Bonita Canyon Drive climbs to Massai Point, and about 17 miles of trails lead into the rock formations. You can also visit Faraway Ranch, the historic home of Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson, and the visitor center museum. The monument has no entrance or parking fees.

#national monument
#rock formations
#hiking
#scenic drive

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Chiricahua National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Check prices
Ruins of a frontier U.S. Army fort tied to the Chiricahua Apache conflict over their homeland, reached by a hike.
11 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
Amerind Foundation
Under $25
A museum, art gallery, and research center in Cochise County focused on Indigenous Americas archaeology, cultures, and Western art.
42 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Tours
Outdoor Adventure
Apache ATV Tours
$50+
Guided ATV rides through the canyons and ghost-town ranches of southeast Arizona near Tombstone.
46 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Museums
History Buff
Bird Cage Theatre
Under $25
Walk through an 1881 Tombstone theater, saloon and gambling hall with its original fixtures and bullet holes in the walls.
46 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
History Buff
Boothill Graveyard
Under $25
Walk the rows of an 1870s frontier cemetery where the men killed in the O.K. Corral gunfight are buried.
46 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sports & Outdoors
Family Favorite
Kartchner Caverns State Park
$25–$50
Take a guided tour through a living limestone cave with a 21-foot soda straw stalactite and Arizona's tallest column.
59 mi awayMore like this