Several years ago, as we wandered through Saguaro National Park in Arizona, a couple suggested we stop at Chiricahua National Monument. We had not heard of it, but made the detour to check it out.
It’s a small, out-of-the-way park outside of Willcox, (spelled with two Ls) Arizona. Back then, Reg learned of a park service bus that would shuttle us to the top of the park, dropping us off for a walk through the rocks back down to the visitor’s center. We couldn’t resist the chance to do it again.
The 4-mile walk, pretty much downhill all the way, was every bit as incredible as we remembered. A little hard on the knees, but we both had our trekking poles to help soften our decent.
Our next stop – Two nights at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico.
City of Rocks is a small, yet incredibly interesting state park north of Interstate 10 in the middle of nowhere New Mexico. You won’t find much more than a visitor’s center, giant boulders to wander through and a few hiking trails. Clustered among the rocks are some unique campsites, some of which require a decent amount of skill to successfully back a trailer into and level…all part of the fun. It’s also a great place for stargazing.
On our one full day we spent at City of Rocks, Reg headed out on an afternoon walk, not intending to summit the adjacent Table Mountain, a 600-foot climb from the campground floor. While I napped, catching up on some missing sleep, Reg toiled to the top where he snapped a few photos, proving his hard work paid off.
Neither park requires more than a day’s visit, but if you have the time, both are worth the detour from Interstate 10.
Tonight we are settled at the small, comfortable Red Barn RV Park, enjoying the country view.
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