Hiking Chiricahua Peak

Hiking Chiricahua Peak, starting from Rustler Park | Arizona | December 2023

Before we left Arizona, I had one last hike that I really wanted to do: Chiricahua Peak. The last ultra prominent peak in Arizona that I hadn’t hiked, and, at least according to my friends who harangued me about it constantly, a stellar hike. Granted, we didn’t know that we were going to leave Arizona quite yet, but I had fit this hike into the schedule and we planned on using it as a crossroads for deciding what to do next.

There were several problems though. 1 – It was a longer hike at 10+ miles. 2 – The two trailheads were either very high in elevation, or at the end of a questionably passable road. In order to avoid having to sleep at 9000+ feet, we left the Cranes and Wilcox early on Monday morning, driving South towards Chiricahua National Monument. Just before the entry road for the Monument we veered right and into the National Forest, following a very washboarded and rocky road to the crest of the mountains. We had driven this road in the opposite direction in 2014.

After 10+ miles of bouncing and jostling, we made it to Rustler Park, a campground and ranger station that was closed for the season. Fortunately there was still trailhead parking available, so we set up the van, made breakfast, and I packed my bag for the hike.

After ensuring Jess and Charlotte (who had taken breakfast time to explore the whole parking lot and then some) were comfortable, I set off down the road and through the empty campground and abandoned cabins. Based on advice from Mitch, I stuck to the forest ‘road’, which stayed to the East side of the crest and soon opened up to views out over Southern New Mexico. I texted Jess to let her know of the nearby views and then pushed on into Long Park which was the most untouched by fire. Though I neglected to inform her of the snow…Fortunately, it was only a few inches, patchy, and only on the North slopes, so I never had need for the microspikes I had left behind in the van. Along the road I also ran into a pair of very young white-tail deer who had absolutely zero fear of me. I followed them as they walked down the road, not 20 feet behind, making all sorts of noises to try to get them to move off the path. Eventually they nonchalantly walked off trail and I was free to proceed at my usual pace. Besides a few other deer, they would be the only living things I would see on the trail that day.

At the top of Long Park, I took a spur trail to the summit of Fly’s Peak, a minor summit on the AZ 20-20 hiking list that gave decent views to the South along the ridge and of Chiricahua Peak itself. After a short rest and signing the summit register I went down the other side and began following the Crest Trail in earnest. This is where the true beauty of this hike shone through. The trail contoured around some minor summits, staying tight to the slope that dropped steeply away on the downhill side. Because of repeat fires, most recently the Horseshoe 2 fire in 2011, the slopes are quite bare and offer unrestricted views to the West and South. I stopped frequently to admire the view and surrounding mountain ranges. I could easily make out 3 of the 4 other Ultra peaks from here (Humphreys is a bit too far North to be seen from anywhere but North of Phoenix).

Before long, I reached the summit of Chiricahua Peak, a rather disappointing spot considering the views on the trail below. The peak area was tree covered, with no views, and only a USGS benchmark. But, I had made it. My 11th Ultra Prominent Peak, 80th Peak in my personal 300x300x33 challenge, highest and most prominent peak for the year, and it wasn’t even noon. I made myself a quick lunch, texted Jess that I would be back shortly and then started the way back. The hike back was uneventful if just as scenic as the way in. I went around Fly’s Peak instead of over, but otherwise retraced my steps. Incredibly, I was back at the van by 2, having covered 11 miles in just over 4 hours. It helps that the elevation gain was quite gentle. I’m sure it would be a different story if I had come up from the canyon. Here’s an AllTrails recording of the hike if you’re interested.

Back with Jess and Charlotte, we caught up with each other’s afternoons before quickly turning to what to do next. Positioned here, at the top of a mountain range in the Southeast corner of Arizona, we could go back West and spend the holidays as we had the past week, or we could East, either on a protracted road trip through the South, or back home for Christmas.

Eventually, family and traditions won out and we decided we would make it home to Iowa in time for Christmas Eve. It also helped that the weather forecast between us and Iowa was warmer than average and dry for the next week. But we would still take our time, starting with a half-hearted drive partly down the mountain to a pull out on the side of the road. We expected it to be cold since we were so high in elevation, but it ended up being quite comfortable, and we enjoyed one last night camping in Arizona for the year.