To start I needed an ACCESS pass, which they offer at Coronado Park, if you're disabled & can prove you are they give you a lifetime membership no cost entrance fees to over 2,000 national parks Etc... This location offers a nice hiking trail, and many other trails with beautiful mountain scenery. They have a small store with lots of information and the staff are very pleasant & helpful. There's plenty of parking, and restrooms. If your bored at home and want to get some sun, fresh air or quiet time this is your spot. read more

US National Memorials comprise an odd array of themes, so it's not terribly weird that we have one for a Spanish conquistador (we have two actually - also one for de Soto in Florida). Beautiful area with trails, an excellent visitor center and other features. At the very least, if you're able, hike up to the top of Coronado Peak from Montezuma Pass. It's a short hike but gains 300 feet in elevation. Good views up there. The Coronado memorial is somewhat out of the way but still easily accessible from I-10. If your vehicle has good tires, after visiting Coronado consider continuing on westward through Montezuma Pass towards Parker Canyon Lake and the town of Sonoita. It's a nice drive. 4WD not required but make sure your spare tire is in good shape. read more

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This is definitely an underrated park! The visitor center has restrooms, a water fountain, and exhibits explaining the history of the park, as well as chain mail and hats if you want to dress up and pretend to be an exploring Spaniard. There are gorgeous views of the area on top of the peak, although to get to Coronado Peak Trail (0.8 mi) you have to drive up the mountain on a dirt road. The road is maintained pretty well though, and there's plenty of room if there's two sided traffic. At the end of the trail, there's a covered shed and benches, as well as a little box containing a book if you want to write down your reflections and read what other people wrote. The Coronado Cave Trail (1 mi) was amazing. I am not much of a spelunker but I thought it wasn't too difficult- you have to scramble over some rock to descend into the entrance, but you can look at where other people have went and follow that. There are some cool cave formations inside. We had the cave to ourselves. Very cool! read more

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I really enjoyed my day trip to the southern border to visit this site. Coronado National Memorial was built to commemorate Conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's first expedition into the southwest in 1540. Mexico was supposed to build an adjoining memorial on the other side of the border to make this a joint international memorial. But that never happened and so this became a national memorial. There is a small visitor center on site that has educational material about Coronado and his expedition and maps of the surrounding area. There are a number of hikes you can do while here. I highly suggest doing the one mile Coronado Cave Trail and explore the cave at the end of the trail. The cave is about 600 feet long and was probably used as a hideout or for shelter. Make sure you bring a light source and water (my cellphone light wasn't enough). I also took the drive up to the Montezuma Pass overlook. The scenery is incredible and provides views of the San Raphael Valley to the west, the San Pedro Valley to the east, and Mexico to the south. There are picnic tables and a hiking trail at this overlook. Some places of interest on the drive to Coronado National Memorial are Fort Huachuca and Kartchner Caverns State Park. Bisbee and Tombstone are to the east. read more

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Out of the way, but completely worth the drive. Park Service lady was above average and Ive been to a lot of parks. I wish I would've caught her name to recognize her. We saw a Coatis (raccoon on steroids) through the glass, while watching a video on Spanish Expansion, while my sister tried on replicated Spanish Armor. The half a mile hike is moderate and the views are beautiful. Each with our own flashlight, we ventured into the cave. The bigness of the rooms was surprising compared to other caves I've been in. Perfect temp. No guides, No commercialism, No lit paths -A good thing. Not gonna tell you too much about it, just go see for yourself. read more

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If you like caves this one is a really fun cave you can do on your own. No tour guide. Take two forms of lights like head lamp or flashlight (cell phone isn't great light for cave). Good hiking shoes is best. Once you get inside you have to climb down to floor of cave. Very open rooms. One part required getting on belly and squeezing through. Opens up once we crawl a bit. 10+ would be fine in here. I wouldn't take younger kiddos. Teens would love it. Great visitor center. Friendly rangers. Funny side note* When we came out of cave temperature had dropped significantly and it had hailed a lot! See pic of hail. read more

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The park service lady (Kim) was very helpful and kind. The history of Coronado National Memorial is interesting! The road to Montezuma Pass is unpaved! I was a little nervous as a passenger because the gravel was loose. The view from the top was breathtaking though. Fun fact, there's a Pokémon gym up there for my fellow pogo players. We continued to drive on the dirt roads to Patagonia and it was really bumpy at times. Thankfully it wasn't too dusty because of the rain from the day before. We saw deer, cattle, vultures, and even a donkey when passing through. We also saw Harshaw, Duquesne, and Lochiel, which are ghost towns. There was even a small cemetery in one. Driving on the back roads felt like an adventure. If you have the right car, I recommend it. read more

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Amazing views especially sunrise and sunset on top of Montezuma pass. Also the cave at the bottom of the mountain is amazing. Such a beautiful are of AZ. read more

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Moderate hike up a picturesque mountain slope. We enjoyed natural plants and desert wildlife. The cave was large and dark, please take a flashlight or headlight. The cave is worth the hike. read more

Beautiful place for hikes! I am new to the area and haven't hiked for a while due to covid so this was a nice place to walk around. Some trails are quite narrow so bring appropriate clothing/shoes for hiking. read more

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We did not know what to expect here since they are closed due to the government shutdown. What we found was a beautiful, clean wonderland. Disappointed that the Visitor Center was closed but, you can still drive through and go out to the Montezuma Pass. And you can use the picnic area which was spotless clean. The drive out to the pass is on an unpaved road so you need an appropriate vehicle to drive a road with switchbacks and potholes all along the way. If you make it to the top you will be rewarded with amazing views and you can see the Mexico border. The picnic area is one of the best we've seen in a National Park. We had a Park Ranger stop to say hello. One of the nicest, most polite Rangers we've met. He was working without pay but, he said he did not mind as he loved what he was doing and would get paid with backpay sometime down the road. He told us some stories about the Illegals that come through the area and showed us some of the surveillance devices that are around. If you visit the this area make sure you take the drive here. It's only 5 miles off Hwy 92. read more

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Breathtaking views of the San Pedro River Valley. Enjoy the beautiful drive through E. Montezuma Canyon Rd to the visitor center. Then continue on to the overlook to see the great views! There is a steep 2 mile drive up a dirt road which is fine for two wheel drive vehicles. The speed limit is 15 mph and some big cliff drops so be careful and pay attention! Once you get to the top you can have lunch at the picnic table or continue on to the .4 mile hike (300ft climb in elevation) to the top of Coronado Peak. I didn't do the Coronado Cave hike, but if you plan to do so, bring a flashlight for the cave at the end of the half mile trail (500ft climb). read more

Coronado National Memorial - Parks Near Me - Hereford, Arizona

Made a stop here on the way from California to Texas, beautiful location with clean and informative facilities. Wildlife was fascinating including the large Arizona blonde tarantulas sauntering across the road. Be careful not to run them over during the summer months. Looking forward to another visit! read more

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Beautiful park. We drove up the two mile gravel road to Montezuma's Pass and then walked up the steep .4 path to the top of the peak. Absolutely breathtaking views. Coronado claimed you could see the Pacific Ocean, and you could almost believe him as you stand, bracing yourself against the wind, at the highest point looking around at the world below you. I had never even heard of this park, but am so glad I went. read more

This is very remote and beautiful place. There's not many visitors, but some excellent hiking and sightseeing are available and very knowledgeable people at the visitor's center. read more

When I planned a trip to Chiricahua NM in the morning and Coronado NM in the afternoon, I assumed the latter would be a nice thing to do after the highpoint of the morning. But with no disrespect meant to Chiricahua, I found that it was Coronado that truly blew me away. I drove east from Bisbee to get there. The drive was great, with these lovely mountains off in the distance. Only to find out that those mountains were indeed where I was going! A nice surprise. The drive into the Memorial and the Visitor Center was scenic as well (though a drop in the bucket of what was to come). The VC has a small interactive display on the hombre, himself, Coronado, relaying the traces of Spanish influence in the region and how it mixed with the indigenous culture to present the Southwestern customs that we know of today. This is done in several creative ways - a scent display showcasing the spices brought to and taken from the New World, headphones playing the music of the border region, chain mail worn by the Spanish on their quests - past and present, you get a good feel for where you are. There's also a small garden outside the VC that shows you the flora of the region - if you haven't been schooled yet, it's a decent tutorial. Now the fun begins - the drive to the top. It's one mile paved and two miles unpaved though the road is maintained well. I was driving a Prius and I confirmed with a Park Ranger beforehand that I could do the drive. He explained that the car could handle it - it's the driver that is called into question, as there are lots of switchbacks, narrow passageways at times, and no guardrails. But really, it's not so scary. I had to cede to a truck that blew major dust my way at one point, but it's not like this is I-10 - not a heavily trafficked road. (And believe me it's to the detriment of humanity that it is this way.) I got frankly giddy when I allowed myself a split glance out at the landscape, but it gets even better once you're up at the top. At the top you have amazing views, even in the parking lot, of the mountains/grasslands view to the east and the Coronado National Forest to the west. You also have restrooms and water if you need it. A 0.4 mile trail takes you to the top of Coronado Peak, a 360 panorama that unveils our glorious Mexican border (and may it always be as unspoiled of a view as this, stated 1/23/17). It's one of those "this is the most beautiful moment ever" places, so savor it. I also wanted to see the Yaqui Trail, which is accessible from the Joe's Canyon trail (the JC trail is 3 miles one-way from the VC to the peak - if you're interested mainly in doing Yaqui and not the full JC trail, the Park Ranger advises to begin from the peak). It's about a mile to the part where the Yaqui splits off of Joe's Canyon (marked clearly - don't see how you could miss it though some reviews claim to, and I'm the type of guy who is prone to missing things). Big switchbacks down on Yaqui leading to the fence that literally divides the two countries, with a monument proclaiming as such, which of course means there are big switchbacks heading back to the top. But it's worth it - while the view is not necessarily that much different than at the peak, it's a small adventure to get there and my gringo ass was thrilled to hear Mexican music faintly echoing up from the flatlands to where I stood. It was a quiet, meditative trail too - not a single soul was on any of these trails on a Friday afternoon in January, and I came back to find my car alone in the parking lot (aside the ubiquitous Border Patrol vehicles). There's a lot of beauty in Southern Arizona so it's hard to go wrong, but any time you can devote here will make it that much more right. read more

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I'm so happy I stumbled on Coronado National Memorial on my way back to Tuscon. The visitor center is surprisingly well done. Stop in and watch the video about Coronado and other Conquistadors of the era. There is chain metal and helmets to try on. The (super friendly) park rangers have set up a motion-activated camera at the pond behind the visitor center, capturing the wild animals that come to drink. The resulting photos are awesome. Sadly, the camera also captured fire rescue after a recent blaze, however the area is recovering. read more

Love this place!!! Just moved to Sierra Vista from Florida and this has been my first little adventure and it was awesome!! read more

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We stumbled into this park and decided we'd try to see some scenery without the hiking. We were short on time so it was nice to drive up to the visitor center for some quick info from the friendly park ranger and then continue in our car to the amazing view at Montezuma Pass Overlook. The road nearest the peak is unpaved but it's totally ok in pretty much any car. I added a video of what that part of the road is like in case you want to see for yourself. We were so glad we fit it into our schedule. It looked like a great place for hiking. read more

In 1540 AD, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a few hundred Spanish conquistadors, and one thousand Native Americans, set out in search of fabulous wealth from the mythical City of Gold, rumored to be somewhere in the mountains or deserts of the northern frontier of the colony of Mexico. The "Entrada," or expedition lasted 3 years, and covered thousands of miles. Little gold was actually discovered, although there was plenty underfoot, except for the ornaments of the local inhabitants, who did not always willing part with their treasure. (It always amazes how history so often acts like there was no one around when these explorers invaded the homeland of the indigenous people.) Still, a visit to Coronado Peak is well worth the effort. The drive is not difficult on packed dirt roads, and not so steep as to require 4WD. Very informative Visitors' Center, but best of all is making it to the top, parking the car, and hiking the final half mile to the summit. From there, the San Pedro Valley spreads beneath you, and Mexico feels like it is rock throwing distance. Tremendous vista! If the adventure bug grabs you, it is possible to return to Tucson via the Coronado National Forest roads. They are unpaved, and considerably rougher than the civilized approach via Bisbee. You should have heavier suspensions, 4 WD, a good topo map with the roads well marked (Arizona Gazetteer works well), and water and food. After bouncing around for a few hours, fording flooded roadways, and stopping for assorted wildlife, you emerge at the other end thankful for the experience. While on the peak, it is easy to imagine a caravan of men in armor, horses, and their retinue crossing the mountains and desert without good maps, and relying on guides they could not completely trust. This was happening long before the English, French and Dutch explored the East Coast. If you love history, and vast expanses of an arid and cactused panorama, come here to the Sky Island Mountains, and spend some time soaking in this part of the world. read more

We took an absolutely lovely scenic drive through Coronado National Memorial. It makes for a lovely day trip out of Tucscon, provided your car can handle the elevation. The views from the top are absolutely fantastic, and the cactus views near the bottom are also pretty awesome. read more

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The pass offers extraordinary views. Near to top it's a single lane dirt road that I have seen hybrids drive up. A view of the border fence, Mexico, Naco are clear from the top. There are miles and miles of dirt roads on the west side, connecting to Parker Canyon lake and even Patagonia. read more

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This is a great monument. Drive up to the top and have a look at the land. The employees have always been friendly and helpful. There are wonderful trails and a cave you can go down into. The station also has great local books for more hiking. read more