Not Just Another Roadside Marker
Along the US/Mexico border south of Sierra Vista lies a small and often overlooked National Memorial. Perhaps this wedge of land dedicated to the 1540 entrance of Francisco Vazquez de Coronado into Arizona seems too “history bookish” and boring, if you have even heard of it.
We assure you that this is not the case. On a recent day trip, we found ourselves at a fork in the road. One way led into the Coronado National Memorial and one road led home. We opted for the unknown.
Located at the southern end of the Huachuca Mountains, the Memorial’s 4,750 acres rise from 5,000 feet to almost 8,000 feet at the top of Coronado Peak. Various activities are available: hiking up Coronado Peak (fantastic views), starting the 750 mile Arizona Trail (which begins at US Boundary marker 102 – this is one of the few remaining original markers from 1892 that formally delineated the “new” US border), and exploring Coronado Cave. We chose the Cave Trail that wound 3/4-mile up a canyon to the mouth of the cave.
The Coronado Cave is considered a live one; wind and water are still creating weird new formations. Geologically, it is in the same layer of limestone as Colossal Cave, Kartchner Caverns, and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. After allowing our eyes to adjust, we turned on our headlamps and wandered through several rooms ending in a large chamber. Six hundred feet into the hillside it was dark, cool and quiet.
If you go, and we recommend that you do, stop in the Visitor Center and get a permit for the Cave Trail. There is no charge for admission to the National Memorial, or the Cave. Imagine that! The ranger on duty informed us that there is no evidence that Coronado ever knew of the cave. He mentioned that the cave could really be called the Geronimo Cave. According to local legend, the famous Apache leader was once chased into the cave by the US Army. The troops figured they had him cornered, and decided to smoke him out.
Quite some time passed with no sign of Geronimo. The Army sent a scout to the ridge top where he reported a tall plume of smoke rising from the hillside. Apparently, Geronimo knew the cave and its mysteries a little better than they did.
So, if you ever come to this fork in the road, take it!
