Sight · Chiricahua National Park
A small lot on the upper scenic drive for stargazing.
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 place
Echo Canyon Grottoes“Up ahead is the Echo Canyon trailhead, where a short hike takes you into the Grottoes' narrow stone passages. For a taste of the rock maze, choose the one-point-two-mile round trip and allow thirty to sixty minutes.”
Plays as you drive up to Echo Canyon Parking Area 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
Echo Canyon Parking Area is a small paved lot on Bonita Canyon Drive in the park’s upper rock country. It’s one of the park’s recommended places for a wide, unobstructed night sky. For a short stargazing stop after the scenic drive, this is a good fit: night viewing is possible in every season, and no reservation is needed.
The lot is also the main access point for hikes into Echo Canyon. The Grottoes are a separate destination about half a mile down the trail, where the route reaches tunnel-like rock formations; they’re not at the parking area.
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
ChallengingHeart of Rocks Loop7.4 mi · 5 hr · At the trailheadA strenuous climb reaches a clockwise loop among balanced rock towers.
ChallengingThe Big Loop9.5 mi · 5.5 hr · At the trailheadA full day among hoodoos, narrow slots and long canyon views.
ModerateEcho Canyon Grottoes Trail1.2 mi · 45 min · At the trailheadA short walk into tunnel-like rock passages
ChallengingInspiration Point Trail5.4 mi · 3.5 hr · At the trailheadA rocky climb to a sweeping view of rhyolite spires.
ModerateEcho Canyon to Visitor Center4.2 mi · 3 hr · At the trailheadA 4.2-mile downhill traverse from rock towers to shaded oak.
ModerateEcho Canyon Loop Trail3.3 mi · 3.5 hr · At the trailheadTight rock passages, sunny views, and a smarter counterclockwise loop.
ModerateMassai Point Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayA half-mile rim loop past balanced rocks and wide canyon views.
ModerateSugarloaf Mountain Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA short, steep climb to a historic lookout above volcanic spires.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayEcho Canyon GrottoesStep into a stone corridor among towering rock pinnacles.Sight · 0.4 mi awayMassai PointBig views from the lot; a short trail gets you closer.
Sight · 0.6 mi awaySugarloaf Mountain Fire LookoutA steady climb to wide views over Bonita Canyon.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayInspiration PointA strenuous hike for wide views of Cochise Head and Rhyolite Canyon.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayPinnacle Balanced RockA top-heavy tower, earned by a long walk into the hoodoos.
Sight · 1.3 mi awaySea CaptainThe captain’s profile hides in rhyolite until the sign gives it away.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayBig Balanced RockA broad boulder perched on a narrow base, after a serious hike.
Sight · 2.2 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.
