May 13 - 15, 2011

The Chiricahua Mountains are relatively close to Tucson, but seem a world away once you're out there. Please join me for a very easy two-night backpack in this lovely mountain range.

The Plan

We'll drive to the Chiricahuas and Rustler Park early on Friday morning, May 13th. Leaving our vehicles at the trailhead, we'll hike to Anita Park and set up camp. Depending on the amount of energy we have left, we may hike a short distance up to Chiricahua Peak before dinner. We'll definitely take a short walk to watch the sunset over Sulphur Spring Valley and the Rincon Mountains in the far distance.

On Saturday, we'll leave our camp and head off to Monte Vista Peak. That's a six-point-two-mile round-trip hike, with the possibility of climbing a watch tower on the summit. We'll have lunch on the peak before we head back to camp. Paint Rock is on the way, and if you want to climb that rated peak, you may.

On Sunday morning, we'll have breakfast then pack up and head down the trail. Along the way to the trailhead, we'll make a detour up to Fly's Peak then out to Centella Point. Fly's Peak isn't much to look at, but the views along the way to and at Centella Point are wonderful.

The Prep

This trip is planned for up to eight people. There are plenty of free campsites available at Anita Park. We just need to protect ourselves from the weird deer.

There are a few minor expenses, of course, but that's just fuel reimbursement to the drivers. It'll probably come to less than $15.00 per person.

You'll need food for two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners.

One nice thing is that we are allowed to have a fire, depending on the weather. That makes the evenings a bit more special. Perhaps we'll have s'mores!

Water and Weather

There should be water at Anita Spring, but that may depend a bit on the amount of rain and snow the mountains received over the winter.

The weather at Anita Park in early May will be very nice. Daytime highs will be in the 70s with lows in the upper 40s. Remember that the campground is at 9,400 feet, however. That means it's quite a bit cooler than Tucson; perhaps by as much as 20 degrees or more. You will probably need a cool weather sleeping bag.

The Hike

day	miles	elev gain	destination
Friday	0.0 / 0.0	0 ft / 0 ft	Rustler Park
Friday	2.5 / 2.5	500 ft / 500 ft	Long Park
Friday	1.6 / 4.1	200 ft / 700 ft	Greenhouse Trl Jct
Friday	1.0 / 5.1	300 ft / 1000 ft	Anita Park campsite
Saturday	6.6 / 11.7	1200 ft / 2200 ft	Monte Vista Peak RT
Sunday	2.1 / 13.8	300 ft / 2500 ft	Flys Peak
Sunday	2.1 / 15.9	400 ft / 2900 ft	Centella Point and back
Sunday	2.4 / 18.3	300 ft / 3200 ft	Rustler Park