Today we have the main hike planned for the trip, a loop hike near Echo Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains National Monument. It is quite high up, around 7,000 feet so we hope that we will escape the worst of the heat but unfortunately it is not that simple. It is 7,000 feet in the parking area however the loop descends and then climbs back to parking so we will be mostly below 7,000 feet today.
The trail starts flat before the descent with the first hoodoos visible in the distance. In fact this trail is one of the most scenic in the Chiricahuas and we did it partly way back in the middle of the winter. It was quite cool so we wanted to come back to finish the loop during warmer months which is today.
Soon we enter the scenic section and start descending on stairs hewn into the rock by the CCC way back in the 1930s. Descending is all well but when we think we have to climb back again it doesn’t make us that happy really.
Soon we are passing balancing rock formations and arches with hoodoos all around us. It is quite special, this is the area we visited during the winter that impressed us so much even then.
There are quite a few people here so it takes a bit for them to clear to take photos that fake the fact that it is peaceful and without people :). But we like those photos and also the fact that this is a shaded so we can cool down a bit, it is still relatively hot outside.
This area is actually quite fun to explore with many quasi-tunnels and caverns and we find a secluded spot to eat some snacks before moving on.
The section continues to be quite impressive passing through hoodoos and narrow cracks following the trail as it snakes between the beautiful rock formations.
Some rock formations if you squint enough you can see faces in, of animals or people or aliens or something else, it is a fun game to play when passing through the hoodoolands.
And then we are at the bottom with some nice canyon views. At this point the hoodoos are higher up but still visible and impressive and we find a shaded area to enjoy the views and eat some snacks to fortify us for the climb.
And then it is time to climb back all the altitude we lost. Luckily this trail is less popular and we can stop a few times to catch our breath and cool down before reaching the parking lot. There is still a little time so we decide to move on to another nearby national protected area, Fort Bowie National Historical Site, to explore before returning to the compound.
