On Thanksgiving morning we headed out to Chiricahua National Monument (created in 1924), also known as "A Wonderland Of Rocks."
The forest of rock spires was eroded from layers of ash deposited from the Turkey Creek Volcano eruption 27 million years ago.
The Chiricahua Mountains are in the far southeastern corner of Arizona, one of several "sky island" mountain ranges surrounded by expansive desert grasslands. The Apaches called this place "The Land of Standing Up Rocks."
We parked about 15 miles from the park entrance and rode in. Inside the Monument is an 8 mile scenic road (with perfect pavement), climbing up to over 7,000'.
We definitely plan to return and spend some time hiking the 18 miles of designated trails.
What a beautiful way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday!
The forest of rock spires was eroded from layers of ash deposited from the Turkey Creek Volcano eruption 27 million years ago.
The Chiricahua Mountains are in the far southeastern corner of Arizona, one of several "sky island" mountain ranges surrounded by expansive desert grasslands. The Apaches called this place "The Land of Standing Up Rocks."
We parked about 15 miles from the park entrance and rode in. Inside the Monument is an 8 mile scenic road (with perfect pavement), climbing up to over 7,000'.
We definitely plan to return and spend some time hiking the 18 miles of designated trails.What a beautiful way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday!
