Scenic Drives
Mexican Border Road (Forest Road
61)
This drive starts and finishes with some great long-distance views.
In between, it features a drive along an international border through
a
sea of grass so huge they filmed portions of the movie “Oklahoma” here.
Heading south out of Sierra Vista, the Huachuca Mountains and their
dramatic, exposed “Reef” tower above you to the west. You’ll
cross that mountain range at the top of Montezuma Pass, in the Coronado
National Memorial, where you’ll have a huge expanse of Mexico
and Southern Arizona at your feet.
From the pass, the drive drops into the immense grassland of the
San Rafael Valley. Much of this grassland was part of an old Spanish
land
grant. A number of large and small ranches, both Mexican and American,
still provide the main economic activity here. The sleepy little
settlement of Lochiel, with its border crossing that has been closed
since 1986,
will scarcely notice your passage, even if you stop at the monument
to Fray Marcos de Niza. That guide for the Spanish explorer Coronado
is
believed to have been the first European (in 1539) to set foot
in what has since become Arizona.
After that it’s on to the Patagonia Mountains and the gold mining
boomtown-turned-ghost town of Washington Camp. At an unnamed pass just
before you drop into Nogales and the end of the drive, there are more
good views of the Atascosa, Baboquivari and Pajarito mountain ranges
to the west .
Attractions:
International views
Sky islands/seas of grass
Historic ranches and mining settlements
Fray Marcos de Niza Monument
Watchable wildlife
Location: Turns off State Highway 92 approximately 17 miles south
of Sierra Vista and ends at the “Little Red School House” just
north of Nogales.
Access: Drive south 17 miles out of Sierra Vista on Arizona
Highway 92 to the Coronado National Memorial turnoff. Turn
right (south)
and continue
through the Memorial, up and over Montezuma Pass to FR
61. Follow FR 61 all the way to Nogales.
Mileage/Driving Time: About 55 miles. Figure on 2 to 3
hours.
Season: Year-round
Road Conditions: The first twenty miles are paved. The
rest is dirt but passable by 2-wheel drive vehicles.
For further information contact: Sierra
Vista Ranger District.
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