Coronado Activities

Activites include Auto Touring, Bird Watching, Caving, Hiking, picnicking, Horseback Riding, Nature Walks, and Wildlife Viewing

Drive three miles to the scenic overlook at Montezuma Pass.  From the pass visitors can the one one  mile round trip hike to Coronado Peak. Additional trails include Joe's Canyon (3.1 miles) and Yaqui Trail (4 miles round trip).

Allow two hours for a visit to Coronado Cave and bring two flashlights per person. Pets are not allowed on hiking trails and should not be left unattended in parked vehicles, especially in warm weather. History and nature programs and tours of Coronado Cave are available for groups when scheduled in advance. Regularly scheduled programs are given for the general public during the busy seasons.

Established picnic sites are available.

Hiking Trails

While hiking the Memorial's trails, carry plenty of water and protection against the sun. 

CORONADO CAVE TRAIL: 0.75 miles one way; Elevations 5230 feet to 5700 feet. The trail begins at the west end of the visitor center parking lot and ascends 0.75 mile up a steep, rocky slope to the cave entrance.  Permits are required to enter the cave and must be obtained at the Visitor Center prior to the hike.  Those planning to explore the cave should bring at least two flashlights per person.

CORONADO PEAK TRAIL: 0.4 miles one way; Elevations: 6575 feet to 6864 feet. Trail begins at Montezuma Pass. Quotations from the journals of Coronado's captains, posted at scenic overlooks along the trail, provide a glimpse into the minds and hearts of the conquistadors as they trekked northward along the San Pedro River. From Coronado Peak one is overwhelmed by the beauty of the San Pedro and San Rafael Valleys and the panoramic views of the desert grasslands.

Hiking tour on Joe's Canyon TrailJOE'S CANYON TRAIL: 3.1 miles one way; Elevations: 5230 feet to 6575 feet. The trailhead is 500 feet west of the Visitor Center on Montezuma Canyon Road at the picnic area turnoff. The trail climbs about 1000 feet in the first mile with scenic views of Montezuma Canyon and the San Pedro River Valley. After reaching the saddle at the top of Smuggler's Ridge, the trail continues westward with southerly views deep into the grasslands of Sonora, Mexico. Passing along the northeastern side of Coronado Peak, it joins with the Coronado Peak Trail, ending up at the Montezuma Pass parking area. Family reaches the international boundary at the bottom of Yaqui Ridge Trail

Yaqui Ridge Trail: 1.0 mile one way; Elevations: 6500 feet to 5925 feet. Descends steeply from Joe's Canyon Trail down to International Boundary Marker 102 located at the southwestern corner of the park. This trail is the southernmost point of the Arizona Trail. Please do not cross over fence into Mexico and remember what goes down must come back up.

CREST TRAIL: 5.3 miles one way to Miller Peak; Elevations: 6575 feet to 9456 feet at Miller Peak. The trailhead is across the road at the northeast end of the Montezuma Pass parking area. The trail climbs for 2 miles to the northwestern boundary of the Memorial. There it enters Coronado National Forest and continues along the crest of the Huachuca Mountains to the turnoff for Miller Peak, the highest peak in the Huachucas. The trail passes through an area that once saw much turn-of-the-century mining activity.

Joe's Canyon Trail and the Coronado Peak Trail are both part of the National Trails System and classified as National Recreational Trails.  The Yaqui Ridge and Crest Trails are part of the larger Arizona Trail which stretches from the Arizona-Mexico border at Coronado National Memorial to the Arizona-Utah border.

Please do not harm or disturb any plants or animals, as all flora and fauna found in the Memorial is protected by federal law.  Wood gathering and hunting are not permitted within the Memorial, nor are firearms unless securely stored to prevent their use.