223: Bonita Creek Trail to Faraway Ranch - CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT (Southern AZ Road Trip)

Happy Monday friends! This week we’re exploring inside Chiricahua National Monument while on a Southern Arizona road trip. and we’re taking an easy hike filled with beautiful views, abundant wildlife, and rich history. Join me along the Bonita Creek Trail to Faraway Ranch.

Chiricahua National Monument is located in the southeast corner of Arizona and it makes a perfect day trip from Bisbee (about an hour and a half away) or Tucson (two hours away). The park measures in at only 18 square miles, but it has an abundance of hiking trails and history to explore. With an elevation ranging from 5000 to 7000 feet above sea level, Chiricahua National Monument is considered one of the state’s “sky islands”, and it often experiences much cooler weather than other parts of Arizona. President Calvin Coolidge named Chiricahua a national monument on April 18, 1924, and this monument status continues to protect the area's unique hoodoos and balancing rocks often referred to as a “wonderland of rocks.”

Situated at the west end of Chiricahua National Monument, the Bonita Creek trailhead can be easily reached near the entrance of the monument. Simply head half a mile on East Bonita Canyon Road and park in the parking lot on the left. From the Bonita Creek parking lot, the trail passes a picnic area, as well as the short Bonita Creek Loop (0.2 mile), leading you out beside Bonita Creek. The packed dirt and gravel trail is about a mile out and back with just over 50 feet in elevation change, making it an easy, family-friendly hike. Picnic benches can be found at both ends of the trail for guests to take a moment and relax. Along this hike, you pass a variety of trees and stroll beside the creek, which can run dry during the hot summer months or flow with force after a heavy winter rain.

On the east end of Bonita Creek Trail, you can explore the Faraway Ranch Historic District, which only adds another half mile to the round-trip journey. Faraway Ranch was once home to Swedish immigrants, Emma and Neil Erickson. Emma Peterson bought a two-room cabin in 1886. After she and Neil Erickson married, they settled on the 160-acre homestead & had three children, Lillian, Ben, and Hildegard. Neil became the first ranger for the Chiricahua Forest Reserve in 1903. Neil and Emma's daughter, Lillian, married Ed Riggs in 1923 and Faraway Ranch began welcoming more visitors. Guests could explore the grounds, swim in the pool, or relax with a book. There was birdwatching, hiking, and they could take their picnic lunch up to the Wonderland of Rocks by horseback. As you stroll the grounds today, you’ll find the main ranch house, exhibit buildings, barns, and other ranch structures still standing...and don’t be surprised to see the local wildlife roaming here too.

For more details on this area make sure to check out my full blog post at:
https://www.flyingdawnmarie.com/new-blog/chiricahua-bonita-creek-faraway-ranch

#arizona #roadtrip #bisbee #southernarizona #nationalmonument #nationalpark

Видео 223: Bonita Creek Trail to Faraway Ranch - CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT (Southern AZ Road Trip) канала FlyingDawnMarie