Chiricahua Mountains

Ciricahua Mountains

The Chiricahuas are a small mountain range in southeastern Arizona and are named after the Chiricahua Apache Native Americans who used to inhabit the area. The range runs north south and is approximately 35 miles long by 15 miles wide. The southern end of the mountains is around 25 miles north of the Mexican border while their northern end is separated from the Dos Cabezas Mountains via Apache Pass.

The higher peaks of the Chiricahua Mountains have elevations in the 7000 to 9000 ft range and culminate in the 9759 ft summit of Chiricahua Peak. While jagged peaks are plentiful, most of the 9000 ft peaks are small, forested plateaus surrounded by deep canyons. The peaks rise 3000 to 5000 vertical feet above the surrounding plains that are either arid or covered by thorny desert shrubs. The forested slopes at higher elevations create an environment that contrasts with that of the surrounding plains, hence the term Sky Island Mountains.

With 5139 ft of prominence, Chiricahua Peak is an ultra-prominent peak and is the 55^th most prominent peak in the US outside of Alaska and Hawaii.

Hundreds of miles of trails, some of which might be badly overgrown or even no longer existing, crisscross the Chiricahua Mountains. For best up to date information about the trails, please refer to the website linked below:

https://chiricahuatrails.com/

Chiricahua National Monument

Chiricahua National Monument preserves a 19 square miles wonderland of rocky hoodoos in the northern parts of the mountains. See Summitpost’s page for Chiricahua National Monument.

https://www.summitpost.org/chiricahua-national-monument/1082596

History

Fort Bowie National Historic Site

Fort Bowie National Historic Site sits on Apache Pass between the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas Mountains. It preserves the remains of Fort Bowie which was established in 1862 and served a vital role in the US military operation against the Apache natives. It was abandoned in 1894 after the surrender of the famous Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo in 1886.

Geronimo Surrender Monument

Is a stone pillar erected in the 1930s commemorating the surrender of Geronimo. It sits on Arizona Highway 80 approximately 39 miles to the northeast of Douglas, Arizona (to the southeast of the Chiricahua Mountains). The actual surrender site is 9 miles away on private property in Skeleton Canyon.

Johnny Ringo Gravesite

Johnny Ringo was a 19^th century outlaw who among other places, had lived in the nearby town of Tombstone, AZ. In 1882 his body was found in Turkey Creek Canyon to the southwest of the Chiricahua Mountains with a bullet wound to his skull because of an apparent suicide. A plaque under trees by a pond marks the gravesite.

Pictures