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| The Heart of Rocks area in Chiricahua National Monument offers unparalleled views of hundreds of rhyolite rock pinnacles. In the distance is Cochise Head. |
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| Heart of Rocks Trail map. Click for larger version. |
The 7.6-mile round trip to the Heart of Rocks is not for the out of shape, as it includes some steep elevation gains in a dry, rocky region. The views and sights are worth getting physically fit for, though.
To reach the trailhead, from Wilcox, Ariz., take Ariz. Hwy. 186 southeast. Turn left/east onto Ariz. Hwy. 181. When the highway enters the national monument, it becomes E. Bonita Canyon Road. Park at the Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center; if you’ve started traveling north and are on Scenic Drive, you’ve gone too far.
Take the Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail, which leaves from the parking lot’s east side. You’re at 5400 feet elevation.
Intermittent Bonita Creek sits on trail’s left/north side, as you hike up Rhyolite Canyon. On that side of the canyon also are rows and rows of hoodoos, and though they’re a fantastic sight, this is just the salad before the main course.
Thanks to the creek and the higher elevation, the walk will be far greener than the desert you drove in on. The trail is a gradual incline through the canyon, but the dirt path – constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 – is easy to walk.
Big Balanced Rock
At 1.5 miles, go left-straight/southeast on the Sarah Deming Trail. The elevation is 5980 feet.
As with Rhyolite Canyon, an intermittent creek runs on the trail’s left/north. Sarah Deming Canyon is narrower, however, and more forested. In addition, springs on the canyon’s sides generate trickles running a hundred feet or so into the creek. Another highlight are two chimney-shaped rocks.
After passing those rocks, the trail at roughly 2.7 miles veers left/north, crosses the creek, and leaves the canyon for the ridgetop. It will be a strenuous climb up. Fortunately, steps have been carved into the rock to make the trip easier.
At 3.1 miles, you’ll reach the Big Balanced Rock Trail. The junction sits at 6860 feet. Go right/east onto the trail, treating it as a spur to Big Balanced Rock, which is just 0.1 miles away.
Big Balanced Rock is an impressive sight. It stands 25 feet tall, is 22 feet in diameter, and weighs 1,000 tons. The small section that the rock is “balanced” on is only 5 feet across.
Heart of Rocks
After taking in the sight, head left/west on trail. At 3.3 miles, you’ll arrive back at the junction with the Sarah Deming Trail. Go right/northeast; you’re now on the stem trail for the Heart of Rocks Loop.
At 3.4 miles, the loop begins. Go left/west, taking loop clockwise, for the best views.
Several great sights await in the loop. Most are classic hoodoos – like Pinnacle Balanced Rock – but several form interesting shapes that merit names such as Old Maid, Camel’s Head, Thor’s Hammer, Punch and Judy (on the loop’s north side), Duck on a Rock (loop’s east side), and Kissing Rocks. There’s also a narrow squeeze between two immense rocks and a view at the top of a rise that looks across hundreds of spires. Lichen covers many of the rocks, adding to their coloration and charm.
At 4.4 miles, you’ve completed the loop. Go left/south onto the stem trail.
Volcanic origin
The rhyolite pinnacles are here because of a volcanic eruption 27 million years ago at the Turkey Creek Caldera just south of the park.
At 4.5 miles, you come to the junction with the Sarah Deming Trail and the Big Balanced Rock Trail. Continue right/southwest on Sarah Deming.
The volcanic eruptions threw ash and molten debris high into the air. Much of it settled and compacted at what is now the national monument, creating layers of rhyolite tuff that ran hundreds of feet deep.
The route reaches the junction with Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail at 6.1 miles. Go left/west on it.
Rain easily broke through cracks in the weak tuff, causing it to fissure and crack and, with the help of wind, to erode over time. The result are the hoodoos seen in Heart of Rocks and throughout the park.
At 7.6 miles, the trail arrives at the visitor center’ sparking lot.
Be sure to start any hike early in the day, especially if walking in spring or autumn, as the trail will get hot by mid-morning. Always carry water with you on this desert trail.
