Parking
Start at the Faraway Ranch parking area off Bonita Canyon Drive. The restroom and water bottle fill are at this lot.
Overview
About Faraway Ranch Trail
Why go
- The short loop reaches Stafford Cabin through the historic district.
- The parking area has a restroom and water fill.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Chiricahua map
Full mapElevation5,197–5,249 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Chiricahua alerts
- InfoVehicle and trailer limits on Bonita Canyon DriveMentions Bonita Canyon Drive, referenced in this guideCheck vehicle length before continuing past Faraway Ranch Parking; there is no large-vehicle turnaround farther up Bonita Canyon Drive. The road narrows and winds steeply up the mountain.Official details
- CautionRabies warning for wild animalsRabies has been detected in Southeast Arizona; do not approach, feed, or touch wild animals.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Chiricahua Tour Guide
Your drive to Faraway Ranch Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Faraway Ranch and Stafford Cabin0:00 / 0:37
“You're nearing the Faraway Ranch parking area, a good stop for the human story behind the rock country. The Erickson family began welcoming guests in nineteen seventeen.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Chiricahua Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ranching by Touch
- Bonita Creek Picnic Area
- A Monument in the Fireplace
- Erickson Cemetery
- 26 audio storiesacross Chiricahua’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, White-nosed Coati, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 14 trails, 17 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Faraway Ranch Trail
A short ranch and cabin loopFaraway Ranch Trail is an easy 0.
Faraway Ranch Trail is an easy 0.9-mile loop from the Faraway Ranch parking area to Stafford Cabin and back by a separate branch. The route stays low in Bonita Canyon on mostly level ground; allow 45 to 60 minutes with time at the cabin. This is the short historic-district walk, not the longer Faraway Ranch to Visitor Center outing.
The Stafford homesteadStafford Cabin is about 450 yards from the Faraway Ranch house.
Stafford Cabin is about 450 yards from the Faraway Ranch house. Ja Hu and Pauline Stafford settled Bonita Canyon around 1880, and the cabin later became part of the ranch's guest operation. The log walls and stone chimney are the walk's main payoff; this is a small history walk rather than a big-view hike.
Choose the cabin branchAt the fork, take the northern branch to Stafford Cabin; the southern branch returns toward the…
At the fork, take the northern branch to Stafford Cabin; the southern branch returns toward the ranch. The exact short-loop signage is not well documented, so check the branch before continuing east onto the longer Silver Spur Meadow route. The parking area has a restroom and water bottle fill. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet and must stay attended.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Chiricahua
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.
