Coronado National Memorial

I spent this year's anniversary exploring in far south eastern Arizona. After spending the morning in Bisbee I traveled west on 92, seemingly inches from Mexico. When the road looped northward toward Sierra Vista, I decided to take the 5 mile ride in to Coronado. I visited there when I first moved to Arizona, in 2003, but it's so down and out-of-the way that I hadn't returned. And this time, after stopping in the visitor's center, I continued on up the winding, well-maintained dirt road to the summit of Montezuma Pass. And I'm so glad I did! It was gorgeous.

Location: South of Sierra Vista, take route 92 for 16 miles. A right-hand turn is marked by a sign - the Visitor's Center is about 5 miles down a lovely road. If you're coming from Bisbee, take 92 west for about 20 miles and the turn will be on the left.

Visitor's Center: You really feel like you're in the middle of nowhere (you are), and there was only one other car there - the Park Ranger's. There are really clean restrooms, a picnic table, and a picnic area across the street (I could hear voices coming through the trees). The center has some paintings as an exhibit and a 9-minute film telling of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's expedition up from Mexico, through what is now Arizona, and over to Kansas before giving up looking for gold and treasures. A beautiful, large picture window showcases a shaded area where you can sit and watch animals and birds. Very quiet. They need music playing, or some sort of white noise for when the film is over.

Bookstore: Small and intimate, with a few Arizona books, a few that apply to Coronado, hiking sticks, hats, tee shirts. Nothing major or out-of-the-ordinary.

I especially enjoyed: The ride up to the top. I didn't do this the first time I came. It was really beautiful. A little scary in places, because it's only wide enough most of the time for just a little more than one car, and there might be someone coming....around the corner....the other way. There were no railings, so to see you HAD to stop...or risk going over the edge. There were three big white vans and a mess of people at the top....bird watchers?....so I didn't get to explore up there too much. I was in a solitary mood. I was told there's an accessible hike to even cooler views, with benches along the way as you ascend. Next time.

There's also a cave - unlit, so you need a flashlight, that's a 1.5 mile round-trip hike. Wow. That would be pretty cool, too!