Coronado National Forest

The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

Coronado National Forest
Coronado National Forest and Chiricahua Mountains in southern Arizona
Location in Arizona
Location in United States
LocationArizona and New Mexico, US
Nearest cityTucson, Arizona, US
Coordinates31°59′47″N 110°18′32″W
Area1,780,000 acres (7,200 km2)
EstablishedApril 11, 1902 (1902-04-11)
Governing bodyUS Forest Service
WebsiteCoronado National Forest

It is located in parts of Cochise, Graham, Santa Cruz, Pima, and Pinal Counties in Arizona, and Hidalgo County in New Mexico.

The national forest is divided into five ranger districts, which are not contiguous; each consists of multiple sky island mountain ranges.

The Santa Catalina Ranger District near the city of Tucson comprises the Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains. Included in this area are the highest peak of the Santa Catalinas, Mount Lemmon, the rugged Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area, and the popular Sabino Canyon. Much of this district was part of Santa Catalina National Forest before its inclusion in Coronado.

The Safford Ranger District comprises the mountain ranges surrounding the city of Safford, Arizona. These five ranges are the Pinaleño, Galiuro, Santa Teresa, Winchester, and Greasewood Mountains. Included in this area is the highest peak of the Pinaleños, Mount Graham. Mount Graham National Forest was a formerly separate national forest, combined into Crook National Forest on July 1, 1908. In 1953, part of Crook was absorbed into Coronado.

The Nogales Ranger District comprises four mountain ranges north and west of Nogales, Arizona. These ranges are the Santa Rita, Tumacacori, Pajarito, and San Luis Mountains. Included in this area are Mount Hopkins, Mount Wrightson, and Madera Canyon, all located in the Santa Ritas. In the early 20th century, this area included two national forests which were absorbed into Coronado: Santa Rita National Forest and Tumacacori National Forest.[1]

The Douglas Ranger District comprises three mountain ranges north and east of Douglas, Arizona. These ranges are the Chiricahua, Dragoon, and Peloncillo Mountains. A portion of the ranger district in the Peloncillos extends into New Mexico. The district comprises three formerly separate national forests: Chiricahua National Forest, Dragoon National Forest, and Peloncillo National Forest, all combined into Coronado.[1]

The Sierra Vista Ranger District comprises three mountain ranges west of Sierra Vista, Arizona. These ranges are the Huachuca, Patagonia, and Whetstone Mountains. Included in this area is the highest peak in the Huachucas, Miller Peak, and the region of the Huachucas known as Canelo Hills. The district includes the formerly separate Huachuca National Forest [1]

Wilderness
Wilderness areas in the Coronado National Forest

The Coronado National Forest contains eight designated wilderness areas, with at least one in each ranger district. Congress defines "wilderness" as an area "untrammeled by man." Common activities in the Coronado National Forest wilderness areas include hiking, horseback riding, camping, hunting, and fishing. The use of mechanized or motorized equipment, including bicycles, generators, and chain saws, is prohibited.[2]

  • Chiricahua Wilderness (Douglas District)
  • Galiuro Wilderness (Safford District)
  • Miller Peak Wilderness (Sierra Vista District)
  • Mount Wrightson Wilderness (Nogales District)
  • Pajarita Wilderness (Nogales District)
  • Pusch Ridge Wilderness (Santa Catalina District)
  • Rincon Wilderness (Santa Catalina District)
  • Santa Teresa Wilderness (Safford District)

Campgrounds

The public campgrounds located within the Coronado National Forest,[3] most requiring a daily/nightly fee (see Coronado National Forest official website for accurate and current details), are:

Campground Status * Elevation Fee Mountain range
Arcadia Open 6700 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Bathtub Open 6300 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Bog Springs Open 5200 Yes Santa Rita Mountains
Cochise Stronghold Developed sites closed until Sept 1
Dispersed camping is open		 5000 Yes Dragoon Mountains
Cunningham Open 9000 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Cypress Park Open 6000 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
General Hitchcock Open 6000 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Gordon Hirabayashi Open 5000 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Herb Martyr Open 5800 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Hospital Flat Open 9000 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Idlewilde Open 5000 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
John Hands Open 5600 No Chiricahua Mountains
Lakeview
(Parker Cyn Lake)		 Open 5400 Yes Huachuca Mountains
(Canelo Hills)
Molino Basin Open 4500 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Peppersauce Open 4700 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Pinery Canyon Open 7000 No Chiricahua Mountains
Ramsey Vista Open 7400 Yes Huachuca Mountains
Reef Townsite Open 7200 Yes Huachuca Mountains
Riggs Flat Open 8600 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Rose Canyon Open 7000 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Rucker Forest Camp Open 6500 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Rucker Lake Open 6300 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Rustler Park Open 8500 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Shannon Open 9100 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Soldier Creek Closed 9300 Yes Pinaleño Mountains
Spencer Canyon Open 8000 Yes Santa Catalina Mountains
Stewart Open 5100 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Stockton Pass Open 5600 No Pinaleño Mountains
Sunny Flat Open 5200 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
Sycamore Open 6200 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
W Turkey Creek Open 5900 Yes Chiricahua Mountains
White Rock Open 4000 Yes Tumacacori Mountains

* Information is accurate as of Tuesday, 17 June 2008 at 13:39:50 EDT

See also

References
  1. Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (pdf), Forest History Society
  2. Coronado National Forest Wilderness
  3. Coronado National Forest - Campground Guide
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