- Arizona County HP: #14
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 4)
- Summit Elevation: 9,775 feet
- Mountain Range: Chiricahua Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: Chiricahua Apache, O’odham
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Chiricahua Peak is located in the Chiricahua Wilderness, approximately 100 miles east of Tucson. The closest town with amenities is Wilcox, AZ.
When to Visit: Late Spring to Fall. Chiricahua Peak is part of Southeastern Arizona’s prominent sky island ranges, with the Rustler Park trailhead at 8,400 feet in elevation. The curvy dirt forest roads (FR-42 and FR-42A) leading to the Rustler Park may be unsafe to drive in winter.
Fees/Permits Required: Coronado National Forest charges an $8 day-use fee. Payments are made in cash via envelopes/fee drop box near the Rustler Park Campground entrance. Visitors with a Coronado National Forest or Interagency (America the Beautiful) pass do not need to pay a fee as long as they display the pass inside their vehicle.
Getting There: There are four main trailheads that provide access to Chiricahua Peak. Each one is located in a separate corner of the Chiricahua Wilderness Area near a USFS campground: (1) Sycamore Campground, (2) Rustler Campground, (3) Herb Martr Campground, and (4) Rucker Forest Camp. These driving directions lead to Rustler Campground on the mountain’s northern side.
Directions from Tucson: Follow I-10 east for 80 miles. Take Exit 336 (Bus. Route 10) toward Willcox and continue east for 4 miles. In Willcox, turn right onto AZ-186 and follow AZ-186 east for 31 miles. Turn left on AZ-181 and follow it east for 3 miles toward Chiricahua National Monument. At the National Monument entrance sign, turn right onto Pinery Canyon Road (FR-42) and follow the dirt road for 11 miles to Onion Saddle. where the road forks. Turn right onto FR-42D and follow this road uphill for 3 miles. Veer left at the sign for Rustler Park and follow it for the remaining 1 mile to the campground entrance.
Directions from Lordsburg, NM: Follow I-10 west for 69 miles. Take Exist 334 (Bus. Route 10) toward Willcox and continue west for 4 miles. In Willcox, turn left onto AZ-186 and follow AZ-186 east for 31 miles. Turn left on AZ-181 and follow it east for 3 miles toward Chiricahua National Monument. At the National Monument entrance sign, turn right onto Pinery Canyon Road (FR-42) and follow the dirt road for 11 miles to Onion Saddle. where the road forks. Turn right onto FR-42D and follow this road uphill for 3 miles. Veer left at the sign for Rustler Park and follow it for the remaining 1 mile to the campground entrance.
Parking: The Rustler Park trailhead is located 0.3 miles inside the USFS campground. There is no parking at the trailhead, so hikers will need to park at the day-use area at the campground’s entrance. The day-use parking is large enough to accommodate a dozen cars. There are multiple vault toilets inside the campground, but no potable water.
Pets Allowed: Yes. However, there may be bear activity in the area.
Kid Friendly: Due to the length of the hike, this high point is best for kids aged 12 or older.
The Summit: A small square boulder with a golden survey monument marks the summit of Chiricahua Peak.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: April 26, 2026
Route Used: Crest Trail #270 – 12 miles round-trip (including 0.5-mile detour to Fly Peak)
Chiricahua National Monument has long been on my list because it is a fantastic natural location to hike among wind-carved hoodoos. Unfortunately, the national monument is located on the northern end of the mountain range, so I’d need to save that visit for the tail end of my highpointing adventure.
Meanwhile, the Chiricahua Wilderness Area covers the center of the mountain range and includes five peaks that are part of the Arizona 20-20 Challenge: Chiricahua Peak, Fly Peak, Monte Vista Peak, Snowshed Peak, and Sentinel Peak. (Yes, I am also trying to complete that list too… I always have multiple lists of outdoor goals going at once.
Based on Dave Covill’s recommendation, I decided to approach Chiricahua Peak from the north side near Rustler Campground. I left Willcox, AZ, shortly after sunrise and headed south toward Chiricahua National Monument, passing views of Dos Cabezas (two prominent rounded pinnacles) and Fort Bowie National Historical Site, before the road led toward the sprawling expanse of the Chiricahua Mountains.
Starting at Rustler Campground would allow me to drive all the way up to 8,400 feet in elevation (versus hiking up from 6,000 feet at the other trailheads on the mountain’s west, south, and east sides). This higher starting point would allow me to stay up on the ridgeline to take in the sweeping views of the mountain range and the Chihuahuan Desert below.
Once I reached the entrance of Chiricahua National Monument, it was time to head off the pavement toward Rustler Campground. The drive began as a nice, wide, smooth dirt road, but it narrowed and became rougher the farther I drove up the mountain.
Although it was only 15 miles from the national monument’s entrance to Rustler Park, it would take me about an hour to get there, even with ideal road conditions (no rain, no mud, and no snow).
When I arrived at Rustler Park, the temperature was noticeably cooler due to the elevation gain, and it was ridiculously windy. The area between Willcox and Tucson was under a red flag warning because of the dry conditions and strong winds. And mountain-forecast.com showed 35 mph winds up on the upper slopes of the mountain.
There wasn’t a soul up at Rustler Park when I arrived. But the signs near the campground’s entrance told me there wasn’t any dedicated parking near the trailhead. I’d need to make my way over to the empty day-use parking area just outside the campground and set off for the trailhead on foot from there.
After 0.3 miles of walking through the empty campground, the road curved around, and I spotted a small trail sign about a foot and a half off the ground. Pink tape was wound around the top of the post and fluttering in the wind, making it incredibly difficult to miss despite its diminutive size.
From here, a side trail began to climb above the campground on its way up to the Crest Trail #270. I had to weave my way through a barbed wire stile to reach the trail, but the signage on this hike was already impressing me. Of all the Arizona county high points, this one was the easiest to follow, by far. If only Black Mesa had been this straightforward…
This hike was fantastic from the start. Bright purple lupine, yellow wilflowers, and delicate ferns lined the trail as it wound back and forth between pine forests and aspen groves. And while I could hear the wind blowing through the trees, I was mostly sheltered from the elements while hiking on the trail’s soft pine needle-covered route. The Chiricahua Mountains were really beautiful in the spring!
About 2 miles from the start of my hike, I rounded Riggs Peak and passed a large sign. I was now officially entering the Chiricahua Wilderness part of the Coronado National Forest. Ahead of me, in the grassy saddle between Riggs Peak and Fly Peak, a flash of movement caught my eye.
Signs along my drive up to the campground told me this hike was in bear country. And there were bear boxes at each campsite for campers to secure their food. But the movement up ahead wasn’t a bear. It was a turkey. And judging from its gray-blue head, I was pretty sure it was a hen.
This turkey sighting at 9,200 feet elevation shouldn’t have surprised me. Chiricahua was the Spanish version of the native Opata word chiricagui, which means “wild turkey.” So Chiricahua Mountain quite literally means the mountain of wild turkeys.
The turkey didn’t stick around as I made my way to the saddle. But that was fine because my attention was on my next destination: Fly Peak. This soft, rounded peak was covered with a mix of light-green aspen trees and darker pine trees. And while it wasn’t my prime goal, it would take hardly any effort to tick off this Arizona 20-20 peak today
At the far end of the saddle, I reached another trail junction with superb signage directing the way up to Fly Peak. I wouldn’t have to do an out-and-back trek to nab this peak on my way to Chiricahua Peak. The Fly Peak trail would take me up to the summit and then continue down the back side of Fly Peak to rejoin the Crest Trail. All told, I was only going to add about one-half mile and a few hundred feet of elevation to tick this modest summit off my bucket list.
As I climbed up the trail, the wind became now far more noticeable. It surprised me how much the slender white trunks of the aspen trees swayed with the fierce wind gusts. I’ve been in plenty of windy areas in Colorado and New Mexico where the aspen trees fluttered with the wind. But this was a completely different experience. The trees were literally blowing back and forth like they were being hit by ocean waves.
The trail transitioned back to pines near the summit of Fly Peak, and I found the red can containing the summit register near a tree with at least four trunks emerging from the ground. This tree immediately reminded me of the famous Octopus Tree on the Oregon Coast near Cape Meares.
As I made my way back down toward the next saddle at Round Park, I caught my first views of Chiricahua Peak. But once the Fly Peak Trail rejoined the Crest Trail at Round Park, there was nothing to shelter me from the wind blowing up from the Chihuahuan Desert below. This saddle was completely covered with yellow grasses, with a burn scar on the lower slopes.
Once I rejoined the Crest Trail, I was now 4.2 miles into this adventure. Chiricahua Peak was fully visible up ahead, but I still had two more miles before I’d reach its summit.
When I got to mile 5.65, I reached a series of signs at Junction Saddle, and was met with a choice.
If you were to look at this point on a map, it could be somewhat confusing because all of the trails leaving the saddle are still called the Crest Trail. The main trail (Crest Trail #270) runs 6.25 miles from Buena Vista Peak to Chiracahua Peak. But the USFS also decided to use the same name for the sub-trails departing the saddle, with their only differentiation being a single letter. This resulted in four options:
- Crest Trail #270A heads uphill from Junction Saddle up to Chiricahua Peak’s summit.
- Crest Trail #270B skirts around Chiricahua Peak’s western side from Junction Saddle to Monte Vista Peak, and is 3 miles long (one-way)
- Crest Trail #270C skirts around Chiricahua Peak’s eastern side from Junction Saddle to Finnicum Peak, and is 4.3 miles long (one-way)
- Crest Trail #270D is a 1.1-mile connector trail just south of Chiricahua Peak, connecting Crest Trail #270B and #270C together so hikers can make a 2.5-mile loop around Chiricahua Peak.
Lucky for me, the USFS was on its game with these wooden signs, which made it nearly impossible for me to head in the wrong direction from Saddle Junction. I was taking the summit trail (#270A), with only another 0.5 mile uphill to the summit of Chiricahua Peak.
As with the upper slopes of Fly Peak, much of this summit trail was lined with aspens swaying wildly in the wind. And it only took a few minutes to reach the flattish top of the peak with dozens of downed trees scattered atop the summit.
A medium-sized square boulder containing the gold survey monument was almost impossible to miss. It seemed so out of place in this environment, and was easily the largest rock on this mountain. I even wondered if the rock had been brought in from elsewhere, just as a spot for the surveyors to place this monument.
The entire summit was covered in trees with no grand views of the surrounding peaks. But 6 miles after departing Rustler Park, I’d finally reached my 12th Arizona CoHP!
My return to Rustler Park was virtually identical to the hike out to Chiricahua Peak. There was only one real difference. When I got to Round Park, instead of detouring back up and over Fly Peak, I remained on the Crest Trail as it wound around the peak’s west side.
This was, without a doubt, the windiest spot of the entire hike. There was nothing blocking the wind as it came across the desert and blew up the slopes of Hoovey Canyon. I literally struggled to remain upright at times as the gusts exceeded 40+ mph and tried to push me sideways into the mountain.
Nonetheless, this was also an incredible scenic stretch of trail with intensely blue skies, green trees below, and yellow wildflowers lining the treebare slopes of the burn scar.
Once back at Rustler Park, I began the hour-long drive back down to the entrance of Chiricahua National Monument. I spent the entire drive grateful that I’d taken Dave Covill’s advice to use the Crest Trail instead of one of the routes that followed the canyons up to Chiricahua Peak.
The Crest Trail had been extremely well-marked, physically easier than the other routes, and unbelievably beautiful in the springtime. This southern Arizona hike just vaulted itself into position as one of my top two Arizona CoHPs. (The other hike vying for the top slot is the Signal Peak – the Yuma Co. High Point).
As an added bonus, I even made a celebratory visit to Chiricahua National Monument once I’d returned to the pavement. This is a fee-free park unit, filled with short, interesting hikes in Bonita Creek, Echo Canyon, Rhyolite Canyon, and the Natural Bridge Viewing area.
There are supposed to be coati and javalina in the park, but I didn’t see any. Just lots of birds and a 2-foot snake sunning itself on the roadway that I nearly rolled over in my rental car.
BONUS MATERIAL
Alternate Routes:
- Mormon Ridge & Canyon (Western Route). The shortest route to Chiricahua Peak begins on the mountain’s western side near Sycamore Campground. This challenging route begins at 6,270 feet in elevation and follows the Mormon Ridge Trail (#269) for 3.6 miles up to Chiricahua Saddle. At the saddle, hikers make a sharp left and follow the Crest Trail (#270B) north for 0.7 miles toward Junction Saddle. From the junction, hikers head uphill on Crest Trail #270A for the remaining 0.5 miles to the summit of Chiricahua Peak. On the descent, hikers retrace their steps to Junction Saddle and Chiricahua Saddle, then follow Mormon Canyon Trail (#352) and Forest Road 41 for the remainder of the trek to Sycamore Campground. The round-trip distance for this alternate is 11 miles.
- Bear Canyon (Southern Route). This route begins at Rucker Forest Campground on the mountain’s southern side and provides the opportunity to add Monte Vista Peak and Paint House to the hike. This 16-mile challenging route begins at 6,100 feet in elevation, and uses the 4.5-mile Raspberry Ridge Trail (#228) to ascend Bear Canyon. Hikers reach the junction with the Crest Trail (#270B) just below Raspberry Peak. Turning left at this junction takes hikers 0.7 miles to Monte Vista Peak. Turning right at the junction takes hikers 2.5 miles north to Chiricahua Peak (and past Paint Rock, an extremely picturesque landmark). The round-trip distance for this alternate is 16 miles.
- Herb Martyr (Eastern Route). This route begins at the Herb Martyr Campground on the mountain’s eastern side and provides an opportunity to add Snowshed Peak to the hike. This challenging route begins at 5,800 feet elevation, and uses the Herb Martyr Trail (#247) and the Snowshed Trail (#246) for the first 6 miles. At Snowshed Saddle, hikers can turn right to detour up the 0.7-mile Snowshed Peak Trail (#364) to the top of Snowshed Peak. Alternatively, hikers can continue straight for 0.4 miles farther to the junction with the Crest Trail (#270C). The remaining 1.9 miles on the Crest Trail (#270C and #270A) brings hikers to the summit of Chiricahua Peak along the mountain’s eastern side. The round-trip distance for this alternate is 18 miles.
Public camping nearby:
- Rustler Park Campground is located 5.5 miles north of Chiricahua Peak and has access to the Crest Trail (#270). This high-elevation USFS campground is open seasonally (April to October) and offers 21 campsites, vault toilets, picnic tables, bear boxes, and metal shade structures. There is no potable water, and all food must be stored inside bear boxes at the campground. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost: $15/night
- Bonita Canyon Campground is located 2.6 miles from the entrance to Chiricahua National Monument. This NPS campground is open year-round and offers 21 campsites, flush toilets, trash, picnic tables, and hiking trails. Online reservations are required. Cost $25/night.
Resources:
- Overview of Chiricahua Peak (Summit Post)
- Chiricahua National Monument (National Park Service)
- Rustler Park Campground (USFS)
- Chiricahua Peak via Rustler Park TH (All Trails)