Zacatecas Canyon to Juniper Flats Road

As it turns out, my previous hike, on Sunday, wasn't my last hike for the season after all but my penultimate hike. My good friend and hiking pal, Ira, wanted to take one last hike with me before we departed for the climatically changed Iowa. We decided to hike up Zacatecas Canyon to its end, turned west up to the Ridge which we followed to Juniper Flats Road, down to Mule Pass, and back Tombstone Canyon for lunch. Quick and easy 8.5 miles with only 1,400 feet of elevation gain. Overcast, but temps in the high sixties.

High Desert Market and Café where we had lunch. Great little Bisbee gathering spot.

Bisbee and the copper pit mine.

Bisbee from Juniper Flats Road.

Coronado Peak & Mexico

Today was my last hike of the season before heading back to single digits in Iowa. I decided to combine the Coronado Peak hike up Joe's Canyon Trail and the Yaqui Ridge Trail to Mexico. I wanted to thumb my nose at Trump's border patrol from an illegal crossing of my own—into the state of Sonora. I have a great lunch spot looking down at the fence stretching to the western horizon. A beautiful day, with temps rising to 64º. A nice little 4-hour hike—9 miles but only about 2,400 feet of elevation gain.

A few remnants of snow at the trailhead from the previous week's snow, a sign there would be much more at higher altitudes and in the shady spot.

This was the view of the Huachucas from Hwy. 92. 9,500-foot Miller Peak (center) would have to wait until another day. My hike was on the far left portion of the range, with a maximum elevation of around 7,000 feet.

The southern exposures were mostly bereft of snow.

A northern slope exposure.

Coronado Peak (left), my first destination.

0.7 Miles to Montezuma Pass and the Border Patrol presence, then another 0.3 miles up to the Peak.

I hiked the right fork up to Coronado Peak (about a mile) before returning and taking the Yaqui Ridge Trail down to Mexico.

Looking northwest from Coronado Peak. The Coronado Monument is named after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer who mapped this area in the late 1500s, setting the stage for further explorations and land grabs.

Looking south from the Peak, with Mexico in the background.

Down from Coronado Peak and on the Yaqui Ridge Trail. This trail, with it's southern exposure, was completely snow-free.

Someone rightfully took the tin snips to this fence. My usual lunch spot is on the knoll about 500 yards in the distance. it looks down on this fence as it disappears into the horizon.

The fence from the Mexican side of the border. It curves around and over the hills before straightening out as it heads west (yellow oval).

Ironic commemorative stele celebrating U.S.-Mexican friendship.

I decided against heading over to my overlook for lunch as I didn't want to disturb the grazing cattle. There is a ranch down in the valley and the cows sometimes wander up here for lunch as well.

East and West Cochise Stronghold Trails

Half-moon water catchment

Today I decided to hike the Cochise Stronghold trails, in the Dragoons, a favorite range and a favorite hike. The temps were a blustery 50 degrees at 9:00 am, and even chillier at the top, or divide. Most people hike up to the divide ( the ridge between East and West Cochise Stronghold Trails), settling for either a 6.1 mile round-trip hike (east approach), or a 3.3 mile hike (west approach); but I prefer to do the whole thing out and back (9.4 miles).

This is a moderate hike even though AllTrails and others give it a Hard or "A" rating. Not much elevation gain for nearly 10 miles, no scrambling, and not very rocky.

The Dragoon Range was formed in the Mesozoic era (also called the Age of Reptiles, 252 to 65 Ma) during the Cordilleran Uplift (65 to 150 Ma). They are composed of granite and basalt, eroded into impressive spires, wonky shafts, ovate boulders, and other Seussian shapes. A very rugged geology, the area became the base camp of the Chiracahuan Apaches, a tribe of about a thousand people with about 250 formidable warriors, led by the great warrior and strategist, Cochise. Cochise is said to have been buried deep in the this area of the Dragoons.

The Dragoons from Ironwood Road off Hwy. 191.

A stream bed follows this canyon up to the divide, and the trail crosses over it in several places. Fairly wet on today's hike.

A glimpse of the Chiricahuas hugging the eastern horizon.

The divide between East and West Cochise Canyon. Another 1 ¾ miles to the West trailhead.

Looking west at the remainder of the Dragoons and beyond.

Many of the formations are dusted lime green, which I liken to lichen.

The beautiful Half-moon water catchment.

A Grand Teton of hikes.