Sight · Chiricahua National Park
A quick first photo stop at the park entrance.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Chiricahua Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Chiricahua National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Erickson Cemetery“Erickson Cemetery is ahead near the park entrance, a small burial ground for Bonita Canyon's early homesteaders. Stop for a few minutes if local history interests you.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Chiricahua Entrance Sign in the Parkwolf Chiricahua Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Chiricahua's entrance sign is a brief roadside photo stop just before the entrance booth, at the start of the Bonita Canyon scenic drive. Stop for an arrival shot if you want one; the broad stone base gives this landmark its character, so include it instead of cropping to the panel.
Accounts describe everything from a small parking space to an informal dirt shoulder and a larger pullout. Treat this as a quick roadside stop rather than counting on a marked lot. The booth just beyond the sign is often unmanned, so check its window for visitor information before driving farther in.
The site became Chiricahua National Park on October 20, 2026, after first being protected as a national monument in 1924. Older photographs show the entrance panel reading "National Monument"; its wording after the redesignation has not been verified.
Wildlife
20 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
150 sightingsWhite-nosed CoatiMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
184 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsMojave RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
16 sightingsWestern Diamond-backed RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
12 sightingsRock RattlesnakeMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Chiricahua. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyBonita Creek Loop0.2 mi · 20 min · 0.3 mi awayA flat, paved loop for grassland birds and spring blooms.
EasyBonita Creek Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 0.3 mi awayA short creek walk to the historic Faraway Ranch grounds.
EasyFaraway Ranch Trail0.9 mi · 45 min · 0.8 mi awayA short loop to the 1880 Stafford homestead.
EasySilver Spur Meadow Trail3 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.8 mi awayAn easy 3-mile history walk past a homestead cabin and CCC camp.
ModerateLower Rhyolite Canyon Trail3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA gravel walk to rhyolite pinnacles, climbing toward the canyon junction.
ModerateTrail to Natural Bridge4.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayA rugged forest climb ends at a bridge seen across the canyon.
ModerateSugarloaf Mountain Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 4 mi awayA short, steep climb to a historic lookout above volcanic spires.
ModerateEcho Canyon Loop Trail3.3 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.3 mi awayTight rock passages, sunny views, and a smarter counterclockwise loop.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayErickson CemeteryThe graves trace the families who made Bonita Canyon home.
Picnic area · 0.3 mi awayBonita Creek Picnic AreaA picnic break with a paved loop through grassland bird habitat.
Sight · 1 mi awayFaraway RanchA ranch house with a guest-ranch story and a good stargazing spot.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayStafford CabinAn 1880 homestead cabin on an easy walk through Bonita Canyon
Visitor center · 1.9 mi awayChiricahua Visitor CenterGet the geology, wildlife and human story before the drive.
Campground · 2 mi awayBonita Canyon CampgroundA shady pine-and-oak base for sleeping inside the monument.Sight · 2.1 mi awayNatural BridgeA long, less-used hike to a water-carved arch across the canyon.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayOrgan Pipe FormationLook up at ribbed stone columns just off the scenic drive.Parkwolf’s Chiricahua ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
