Visiting Council Rocks in the Dragoon Mountains

 If you love endless mountain views, clambering over boulders, hiking through wilderness and exploring shallow caves, you’d be in your element. 

Just above the trees, middle/left of the photo are the Council Rocks

So yesterday on Sunday, with packed lunch and coffee, we had a fantastic day driving to the Council Rocks. It is described in numerous websites and blogs and I would recommend to read at least this ONE to get an idea of what I am talking about.  

This is the N Middlemarch Road

Here at the N Middlemarch Road we turned left

We drove from our RV Park along Arizona State Route 82 to the 80 State Route south toward Tombstone. After a half mile we made a left turn into the N Middlemarch Rd, which took us to the foot of the Dragoon Mountains where we made a left turn into the Forest Road 687. This sandy trail road running parallel along the Dragoon Mountains is half the fun and adventure even if you don’t want to climb up to the long ago stronghold of Cochise and the Chiricahua Apaches. This was where the fun really begun. Although the trail is a bit rough in parts, it is doable and picturesque as you take in the views. It blew me away and I think it is plainly fantastic!

Through this cattle grate into Forest Road 687

The area parallel to the mountains is great for easy hiking and there were several campers boon docking in flat clearings along the trail. (We went on a warm, sunny Sunday during March Break) Perhaps at other times this area is not quite so populated. However, the trail is partly rutted, twisted and with dips, so you need high clearance as you bounce along (but so worth it!)

We missed the turn off trail from the Forest Road 687 to the Council Rock parking lot, but shortly after we realized we’d driven too far, as we ended up on a gate to a ranch called Council Rock Land & Cattle, we turned the truck around (not an easy thing to do, but Benno managed) Tracing back to where we came from, we then noticed a turn off with tire marks and followed it. There were no posted signs, only once we were about a hundred yards into the trail, we saw a sign advising “no camping and no fire” and then we spotted a trail circle and knew we had found the parking lot for the trail up to the Council Rock, because I recognized it from a photo Al took from "Travel With The Bayfield Bunch" who had visited this historic site and wrote a beautiful post about it.

So I could have taken a thousand photos, well, not quite so many, but I still took a lot. Following are some I selected.

This is the turn off from Forest Road 687 right into the trail to the parking area

We are parked at the trail circle parking lot in front of the hike to the Council Rocks

Up on the trail, it's not difficult

This flat rock was our table where we unpacked and ate our lunch

I am just going to adjust the level of this boulder ;-)

This one I'm going to roll home for my garden!

Do you see an elephant here?

There are steps in the rocks (Apaches made them) and we are taking them

Hopefully my photos will inspire you to also visit this fantastic area. I sure wouldn't mind coming here again.

Thanks everyone for making it this far :-) And please come again!