We were looking for a place to get out and get some exercise when we were headed into Sierra Vista, AZ to resupply and passed a road sign for the Coronado National Monument ( https://www.nps.gov/coro/index.htm ) along the way. We decided to check this out after discovering the Huachuca Hiking Trail was actually located on Ft. Huachuca and there were several signs indicating bear activity. We didn’t want to involve the Ft. Huachuca Military Police in our daily exercise. This turned out to be an excellent choice!!
There are several miles of hiking trails at the Coronado National Monument with beautiful views of the Sonoran Desert. The National Park in the south part of Cochise County extends south to the Mexican border and includes the majority of a mountain range. The visitor center explains that the Coronodo Expedition came through this area in search of Quivira, the Seven Cities of Gold. Led by Francisco Vasquez De Coronado, the expedition started in Mexico and went into present day Kansas in 1540 by way of the Montezuma Pass located in this National Monument.
The visitor center provides information about the expedition, and how Spanish culture came to the region through the expedition. It also provides the opportunity to try on some replica Spanish chain mail that a foot soldier would have worn traipsing through these mountains… yes, we tried on the 57 lb garb…
The park has a picnic area as well as several hiking trails, including one that ends at Coronado Overlook, one that ends at a Coronado Cave and another that will take you to the Mexican border. Unfortunately we did not have enough daylight to take that trail….guess we will have to save that one for next time…
We visited on two separate days, and we experienced the overpass, the cave and the ridge trail. The overlook and the ridge trails were stunning. Unfortunately, our flashlights were not up to the challenge of cutting through the darkness of the cave, so we barely got into the opening before we had to turn around. We would love to revisit this park to explore a little more!
