One of our absolute favorite national parks is Chiricahua National Monument in southeast Arizona. We remember the smell of the forest the first time we visited. The park is located about an hour from the RV parks in Benson. Its an easy day trip but we hope to camp at the park campground one day. The Chiricahua Mountains rise up to 9,273 feet with plants and animals from 4 ecosystems meeting in this range. There are species from the Rocky Mountains, the Sonoran Desert, the Chihuahuan Desert and even the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.. This area was home to the Chiricahua Apache since the1400s. They called the rock pinnacles “standing up rocks”.

Our favorite trail is the Echo Canyon loop which combines 3 trails into a spectacular 3.4 mile loop. There are views of the rock pinnacles around every turn on this easy to moderate hike. We love it so much we haven’t tried another trail.

We know there are many more trails to explore. There is also much human history to learn. For these reasons we know we’ll return to this beautiful national park. Its one of those we call 3rd or 4th level parks that are less well known and just isolated enough to be safe from overwhelming crowds. Only tell your best friends.