Here are my top finds for Chiricahua National Park:
🏨Hotels: Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort (Tucson), Arizona Sunset Inn & Suites (Willcox)
🐻 Save time! Buy your National Park Pass before your trip
Bonita Canyon Campground
Bonita Canyon Campground has 23 beautiful campsites located in Chiricahua National Park in Arizona. The campground lies next to Bonita Creek and Bonita Canyon Road and is filled with Juniper, Oak, Sycamore, and Pine trees and provides great shade from the sun. The campground accepts tent camping and can accomodate RVs up to 29 feet in length.
The campground is located at 5,400 feet in southern Arizona and sees temperature swings (typical in high desert climates) as much as 30-35 degrees between day and night.
Bonita Canyon Campground Map
Campground Reservations
Are campground Reservations Available? Yes
Phone Number? 1-877-444-6777.
Online? Campsite reservations are available at www.recreation.gov
How Far Ahead can you make a reservation? Individual sites at this campground operate on a 6-month rolling basis
Campground Information
Number of Sites: 23
Location in the park: Off the main park road
Campsite Cost: Make sure to check with the park for the most updated camping fees
Campground Address:
Closest address is for the Chiricahua Visitor Center
12856 E Rhyolite Rd,
Wilcox, AZ 85643
Latitude/Longitude: 32.0116° N, 109.3416° W
Accessible Sites: Site #8 is designed for people with disabilities, but open to anyone for one night if it is the last available site. The electricity is for medical use only.
Campground Amenities
Flush Toilets: Yes, year-round
Showers: No
Laundry: No
Payphone: Yes
Is wifi available? No
Is cellular Phone Service Available? No
Is camp host available on site? Not while we were in the campground, there is a ranger residence in the campground
Is firewood available for purchase? No
Fire pit in the site? There are BBQ Braziers
Picnic Table in the site? Yes
Food Storage Lockers/ Bear Boxes Available: Yes
Potable Water? Yes
RV Camping at Bonita Canyon Campground
RV Length: Maximum RV/motorhome or trailer length is 29 feet, actual measurements. (Note: Vehicles longer than 24 feet are not allowed past the campground on Bonita Canyon Drive)
Hook-Ups: N/A
Dump Station: A gray water dump station is located near the restrooms. There are NO black water dump stations in the Monument. The closest dump stations are in Willcox.
Generators: Quiet hours are from 8 pm to 8 am (no generator use during quiet hours).
How to get to Bonita Canyon Campground
Chiricahua National Park is 45 minutes southeast of Willcox and 2 hours southeast of Tucson, AZ.
From I-10 east:
- Take exit 336 toward Willcox for 4 miles (6.4 km).
- Turn left onto Arizona 186 E (East Maley Street) for 31 miles (50 km).
- Turn left onto Arizona 181 E for 4 miles (6.4 km).
- Veer left onto E Bonita Canyon Road and into Chiricahua National Monument. The campground is 2.5 miles (4 km) ahead on your left.
From I-10 west:
- Take exit 344 toward Willcox.
- Continue on N Haskell Ave for 5 miles (8 km).
- Turn right onto Arizona 186 E (East Maley Street) 31 miles (50 km).
- Turn left onto Arizona 181 E for 4 miles (6.4 km).
- Veer left onto East Bonita Canyon Road and into Chiricahua National Monument. The campground is 2.5 miles (4 km) ahead on your left.
Campground Regulations
The maximum number of people in a campsite: 8 people
The number of cars per campsite: 2 vehicles
Check-in time: 12 pm
Checkout time: 11 am
Quiet Hours: 8 pm to 8 am
Pets Allowed: Pets are allowed but must be on leash at all times
Campsite stay is limited to fourteen consecutive days.
Hammocks, solar showers, and clotheslines are prohibited.
Things to do While Camping at Bonita Canyon Campground
🪨 Drive the 8-mile Bonita Canyon Scenic Drive through the monument's remarkable rhyolite rock formations to Massai Point at the end of the road
🥾 Hike the Heart of Rocks Loop, the finest trail in the monument, through a landscape of balanced rocks, columns, and formations with names like Punch and Judy, Big Balanced Rock, and Duck on a Rock
🌿 Walk the Echo Canyon Loop Trail for a spectacular route through narrow passageways between towering stone columns in one of the most visually dramatic hiking corridors in Arizona
🦅 Birdwatch in one of the finest birding destinations in the United States, where Mexican species meet North American ones in the sky island transition zone; elegant trogons, sulphur-bellied flycatchers, and red-faced warblers are among the highlights
🦌 Watch for white-tailed deer, coatimundis, javelinas, black bears, and mountain lions in the surrounding Chiricahua Mountains
🌅 Watch sunsets from Massai Point at the end of Bonita Canyon Drive, with sweeping views over the Sulphur Springs Valley and the surrounding sky island ranges
📸 Photograph the monument's extraordinary rock formations in the warm light of morning and late afternoon when the rhyolite columns glow in shades of orange and gold
🏛️ Visit the Faraway Ranch Historic District near the campground, a preserved homestead that tells the story of the Erickson family who ranched in the Chiricahuas for generations
Lodging Options Near Chiricahua National Park
There are no lodging options available in Chiricahua National Park. It is also a very remote park and the closest cities are Willcox, Arizona (30 minutes) and Tucson, Arizona (2 hours). Here is a couple options for both locations and Tucson hotels are also in the area of Saguaro National Park.
⭐️ 4.8 of 5 Stars - Arizona Sunset Inn and Suites - Click here for Rates and Availability.
Willcox's highest-rated property and the ideal gateway for Chiricahua National Park, a beautifully remodeled family-run boutique motel in the heart of historic downtown Willcox, just 30 miles from the park!
Featured in Phoenix Magazine as having a boutique vibe, rooms feature flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, air conditioning, mini-fridges, microwaves, free WiFi, and private bathrooms, with select suites including full kitchenettes and USB charging ports throughout. A complimentary locally sourced hot breakfast is served each morning, and the friendly resident hotel dog Macy is known to greet guests on arrival. BBQ grills, picnic area, outdoor seating, free parking, and pet friendly. Just steps from the Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum, historic Railroad Park, and downtown Willcox wine tasting rooms. Open year-round!
⭐️ 4.8 of 5 Stars - Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort - Click here for Rates and Availability.
A legendary 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival guest ranch tucked into 34 acres of the Santa Catalina Mountain foothills, just 15 miles from Saguaro National Park East with some of the most stunning Sonoran Desert views found at any hotel in Tucson!
The 97 individually furnished rooms, historic suites, and private casitas feature hand-carved wood-beamed ceilings, Mexican tile details, pillowtop beds, bathrobes, flat-screen TVs, in-room safes, and free WiFi, with the legendary Tracy-Hepburn Casita available for the most luxurious experience. Three heated outdoor pools, four hot tubs, a full-service spa, two restaurants serving breakfast through dinner, a poolside bar with fire pits, evening live music, botanical gardens, walking trails, fitness center, gift shop, concierge, free valet parking, and pet friendly. A true Tucson bucket list property, open year-round!
⭐️ 4.7 of 5 Stars - Arizona Inn - Click here for Rates and Availability.
A National Register of Historic Places treasure and Tucson icon since 1930, a family-owned AAA Four Diamond boutique resort set on 14 lush acres of manicured gardens, just 15 miles from Saguaro National Park East!
The 89 casita-style rooms and suites are individually furnished with Southwestern antiques and original Arizona Hut furniture handcrafted by WWI veterans, with select rooms featuring private walled patios, fireplaces, and separate sitting rooms. Complimentary amenities include a 60-foot heated outdoor pool, tennis courts, badminton, croquet, ping-pong, free bike rentals, and a library with a stone fireplace. The Main Dining Room offers AAA Four Diamond fine dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while the Audubon Bar features poolside dining and evening piano music. Free WiFi, free valet and self-parking, fitness center, turndown service, gift shop, and concierge. No pets, open year-round!
Click on this link or the map below to see additional hotels and vacation rentals near Chiricahua National Park.
https://www.stay22.com/embed/6ac3bdc67d651d049a4e3670Chiricahua National Park Entrance Fee
Park entrance fees are separate from camping and lodging fees.
Chiricahua National Park does not charge an entrance fee!
Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.
$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the free entrance days the National Park Service offers for US citizens and residents.
Additional Chiricahua National Park Information
Parks Near Chiricahua National Park
- Fort Bowie National Historic Site
- Coronado National Memorial
- Tumacacori National Historical Park
- Saguaro National Park
- Casa Grande National Monument
- Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Check out all of the Arizona National Parks along with neighboring National Parks in Utah, National Parks in New Mexico, California National Parks, Colorado National Parks, and Nevada National Parks
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Photos of Campground
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