The Chiricahua Apache called this area, "The Land of Standing-Up Rocks" and as you continue your drive up Bonita Canyon, you'll soon find out why!
The Chiricahua mountains provide habitats for numerous wildlife. You may see animals that have migrated all the way from South America like javelina and coatimundi. Over 300 bird species are found here, some of whom have migrated north from Mexico.
Chiricahua resembles an oceanic archipelago - a sea dotted with islands- only here the sea is hot desert grassland. We call these isolated mountain ranges, "sky islands." The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, and the Rocky Mountain and Sierra Madre ranges all meet here. The convergence of these four biomes make this area unusually rich in biodiverity.
Chiricahua National Monument was established in 1924 to protect the fantastic rock formations known as "the pinnacles." In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps began the job of improving the road and constructing the trails and many park structures, including the visitor center in front of you!
In 1976, Congress decided to further preserve the land by designating 86% of the monument as Wilderness. This precludes any development and human intervention, thus ensuring the preservation of the geological formations for future generations.
Another 6 miles along the Bonita Canyon Drive will transport you through oak, cypress and pine forest to the summit at Massai Point, where you get a true sense of being atop a sky island.