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Coronado Hiking Trails |
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Bear Canyon Trail #125
The bears this trail is said to have been named for were
grizzlies. They are now extinct in the southwest, but
black bears can still be found in the area. People who come here
say Bear Canyon retains
more of a feeling of wildness than other canyons in the
area. Perhaps that’s because of its name, or maybe it’s
because this out-of-the-way place is a bit more remote and less visited
than others
in the Huachucas.
Bear Canyon is an area of big trees, towering cliffs
and abandoned mines. It is a steep canyon, and the
normally dry streambed that runs through it is punctuated with precipitous
plunges
that become
waterfalls during the spring snowmelt and after summer
rains. The area surrounding Bear Canyon is the source
of a number of legends; of lost
gold mines, buried treasure and ghosts left over from
battles with the Apaches. And there are other ghosts here as well.
The remains
of a wooly
mammoth were discovered in this canyon fairly recently.
Travelers on the Bear Canyon Trail may not find many
mammoth remains, but they will
run across evidence of old mining digs and miner’s cabins. In a
number of places, the trail follows what’s left of the primitive
roads these fortune-hunting pioneers carved into the mountainside.
The Bear Canyon Trail climbs to an elevation of 8,060
feet at Bear Saddle, where it joins the Crest Trail
#103. This major Wilderness
trail provides access to the high ridges of the Huachucas
and a number of connecting trails. From the saddle,
the Bear Canyon Trail drops nearly
500 feet to Bear Spring where it joins the Ida Canyon
Trail #110. If you use a second car for a shuttle,
you may complete a loop trip incorporating
the Bear Canyon Trail by returning down the mountain
via the Ida Canyon Trail or Oversite Canyon Trail #112.
Attractions:
Steep canyon
Riparian area
Notable views
Legendary history
Connecting trails
Season: All year
Length: 3.4 miles
Elevation: 5,875'-8,060'
Rating: Most difficult
Use: Light
USGS Map(s): Miller Peak
Access: Drive south 13 miles out of Sierra Vista on
Arizona Highway 92 to the Coronado
Memorial Road (FR 61). Turn right (south) and continue
through the Coronado National Memorial on FR 61. From Montezuma
Pass, follow FR 61 west about 5.5
miles to a 4-wheel drive road that leads north into Bear
Canyon. It’s
1.6 miles on this road to the Wilderness
boundary and trailhead. The trail is also accessible
from
the Ida Canyon Trail at Bear Spring.
Notes:
This trail is entirely within the Miller
Peak Wilderness.
Motorized and mechanized vehicles
and equipment, including mountain
bikes, are not permitted
in Wilderness. See the Wilderness section of this guide
for more
wilderness
rules and ethics.
Before visiting this trail, call
the Sierra Vista Ranger District
for current trail
conditions
which
can vary with season, weather
and maintenance status.
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