Coronado National Forest


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

Wilderness

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.
The public campgrounds located within the Coronado National Forest, most requiring a daily/nightly fee, are:
CampgroundStatus *ElevationFeeMountain range
ArcadiaOpen6700YesPinaleño Mountains
BathtubOpen6300YesChiricahua Mountains
Bog SpringsOpen5200YesSanta Rita Mountains
Cochise StrongholdDeveloped sites closed until Sept 1
Dispersed camping is open		5000YesDragoon Mountains
CunninghamOpen9000YesPinaleño Mountains
Cypress ParkOpen6000YesChiricahua Mountains
General HitchcockOpen6000YesSanta Catalina Mountains
Gordon HirabayashiOpen5000YesSanta Catalina Mountains
Herb MartyrOpen5800YesChiricahua Mountains
Hospital FlatOpen9000YesPinaleño Mountains
IdlewildeOpen5000YesChiricahua Mountains
John HandsOpen5600NoChiricahua Mountains
Lakeview
Open5400YesHuachuca Mountains
Molino BasinOpen4500YesSanta Catalina Mountains
PeppersauceOpen4700YesSanta Catalina Mountains
Pinery CanyonOpen7000NoChiricahua Mountains
Ramsey VistaOpen7400YesHuachuca Mountains
Reef TownsiteOpen7200YesHuachuca Mountains
Riggs FlatOpen8600YesPinaleño Mountains
Rose CanyonOpen7000YesSanta Catalina Mountains
Rucker Forest CampOpen6500YesChiricahua Mountains
Rucker LakeOpen6300YesChiricahua Mountains
Rustler ParkOpen8500YesChiricahua Mountains
ShannonOpen9100YesPinaleño Mountains
Soldier CreekClosed9300YesPinaleño Mountains
Spencer CanyonOpen8000YesSanta Catalina Mountains
StewartOpen5100YesChiricahua Mountains
Stockton PassOpen5600NoPinaleño Mountains
Sunny FlatOpen5200YesChiricahua Mountains
SycamoreOpen6200YesChiricahua Mountains
W Turkey CreekOpen5900YesChiricahua Mountains
White RockOpen4000YesTumacacori Mountains

Huachuca National Forest

Huachuca National Forest was established as the Huachuca Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona on November 6, 1906 with. It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 the entire forest was combined with Baboquivari National Forest and Tumacacori National Forest to establish Garces National Forest, and the name was discontinued. The lands are presently included in Coronado National Forest.