Dad has taken us to so many breathtaking places in Arizona during our visits. I won’t kid you – the Grand Canyon is far and away the most spectacular. But this year, we went to Chiricahua National Monument (about two hours southeast of Tucson) – and it’s the next best and completely different.
Had to know it was going to be a memorable experience when the sun came up as we were traveling along I-10 toward Chiricahua . . .
Chiricahua is spectacular – from a distance, the entire area looks like thousands and thousands of rock “totem poles”. But up close, a lot of them have personality . . .
Lots of them have faces – and yes, even the signs refer to this one as looking like a duck . . .
This is not a strenuous hike – probably less than ten miles round trip from the Visitors’ Center. But there is also a road that leads all the way into the “monument”, with short hikes from the parking areas to spectacular views.
Like the Grand Canyon, pictures do not do this place justice.
On the left is one of the signature Chiricahua rock formations – I bought a t-shirt that featured it.
Lots of tight spaces with rock formations visible behind them – and they just screamed “take my picture” . . .
Sometimes, so did we . . .
Yep, awesome. If you ever get a chance do a Dories trip down the Grand Canyon. Absolutely amazing. Also, other exellent parks in the southwest -- Arches, Canyon de Chelly, and Bryce. Mesa Verde is cool, too. Great pics!
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