This beautiful nature preserve is within a easy driving distance from Sierra Vista, AZ. I had visited this small town quite a few times however I had made only one previous attempt to visit this canyon and it was closed at that time. They are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This time I made it however barely in time. They close the gates at 5 PM. I had barely two hours to spend. People who work at the visitor center are extremely friendly and informative. I got to say Jane one of the people who work there answered all my questions and informed me what to watch out for both in terms of safety and scenery.
Since I barely had two hours i hurriedly picked up water and camera and set out on the trail which starts right behind the visitor center right. The moment i saw the shaded area with plenty of benches right next to the creek I almost decided not to go on the hike but to enjoy the solace offered by that area. But I was prodded on my curiosity to explore that area. The wooded area was a sharp contrast to terrain I traversed before reaching sierra vista where i could see for miles.
After a brief hike I came across two ladies clicking their camera at a family of deer standing around only few feet away. Initially I was afraid the deer would scurry away at my sight but they seem to be used to human presence and enjoyed posing for those ladies. After chatting with them a bit I moved on to start the climb to the scenic overlook. The climb is pretty steep however was not too bad. After little bit of huffing and puffing I reached the overlook and was rewarded by beautiful view of the north facing cliff with moss covered colorful rock formations. It is hard to get a clear view because the entire area is wooded and there is little bit of clearing near that area. It took me about 45 minutes of leisurely walk to get to that area.
After a brief rest I started on the trail again. I expected it to climb to the top of the mountain but instead it started going down towards the bubbling creek in distance.
On the way back I saw few deers but they all seemed very shy and scurried away at my sight. Those ladies had the charm I guess. I timed my visit to the visitor center like a NFL quarterback milking the clock to the maximum and when I reached the visitor center it was two minutes to five and Jane and the other elderly lady were waiting for me. I was the last one on the trail. We chatted for a bit and they seem genuinely interested in my experience and how far I made on the trail and we talked about the rest of the trail before they closed the visitor center and I was on my way to Buffalo Wild chicken right next to my hotel for a beer.
Since I barely had two hours i hurriedly picked up water and camera and set out on the trail which starts right behind the visitor center right. The moment i saw the shaded area with plenty of benches right next to the creek I almost decided not to go on the hike but to enjoy the solace offered by that area. But I was prodded on my curiosity to explore that area. The wooded area was a sharp contrast to terrain I traversed before reaching sierra vista where i could see for miles.
After a brief hike I came across two ladies clicking their camera at a family of deer standing around only few feet away. Initially I was afraid the deer would scurry away at my sight but they seem to be used to human presence and enjoyed posing for those ladies. After chatting with them a bit I moved on to start the climb to the scenic overlook. The climb is pretty steep however was not too bad. After little bit of huffing and puffing I reached the overlook and was rewarded by beautiful view of the north facing cliff with moss covered colorful rock formations. It is hard to get a clear view because the entire area is wooded and there is little bit of clearing near that area. It took me about 45 minutes of leisurely walk to get to that area.
After a brief rest I started on the trail again. I expected it to climb to the top of the mountain but instead it started going down towards the bubbling creek in distance.
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