As desert national monuments go, the Chiricahua National Monument is a picturesque oasis in an otherwise boring landscape. Ensconced between the Mexican border to the south, the New Mexican border to the east, I-10 to the north, and Historic Tombstone to the west, it boasts a fairly lengthy expanse of high-desert lands and large rock formations that are reminiscent of large cairns, which help guide hikers along their trail.
In all the years, about 4 in fact, that I have lived in Southern Arizona, I've never once been to the Chiricahuas despite all my friends going rock climbing and hiking there. But I'm glad Dan and I finally made the trip. The rock formations remind us a little of Canyonlands and the red rocks around Moab in Southern Utah.
We decided to do a day hike, about 10 miles...not too much, but enough to see most of the monument area. There were several iconic rock figures that were pointed out by signage along the trail.
All in all, it was a gorgeous day and a wonderful hike with my fiance! Given that my mouth was sore due to three tooth extractions a few days prior, I was glad to be able to hike and just get out of Tucson for a while.