Bonita Canyon is a
box canyon on the western slope of the
Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona, which lies at in elevation and opens in a southwesterly direction into the
Sulphur Springs Valley
The Sulphur Springs Valley is a valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona. The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains–Dos Cabezas Mountains complex. The Sulphur Springs Valley is the larg ...
.
The canyon walls are capped with outcroppings of volcanic
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...
and separated by a narrow valley about a quarter of a mile wide. Bonita Creek flows west through the northern edge of the valley, along the northern wall of the canyon. The valley is carpeted with a variety of wild grasses and forested with
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
and
Arizona cypress. Animal life includes
mountain lions,
bobcat
The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...
s,
black bear,
mule deer, various bird and reptile species, and much more.
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
s have also been spotted in the canyon.
Bonita Canyon is now part of the
Chiricahua National Monument and is also home to the
Faraway Ranch Historic District
The Faraway Ranch Historic District is part of the Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona, and preserves an area associated with the final conflicts with the local Apache, one of the last frontier settlements, and in particular, i ...
, as well as a public campground. The headquarters for the Chiricahua National Monument is located just outside Bonita Canyon in the adjoining Madrone Canyon, near the Faraway Ranch.
Neil Erickson
Neil Erickson (April 22, 1859 – October 18, 1937) was a Swedish-born American pioneer in Cochise County, Arizona.
He and the members of his family were the founders and operators of Faraway Ranch now in the Faraway Ranch Historic District
of th ...
relaxing on top of a rock formation in Bonita Canyon
Oak Trees Bonita Canyon Arizona 2014.JPG, Oak woodland
Bonita Creek Faraway Ranch Arizona 2014.JPG, Bonita Creek
See also
*
List of rivers of Arizona
List of rivers in Arizona (U.S. state), sorted by name.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Colorado River
*Colorado River—(downstream-to-upstr ...
References
{{authority control
Canyons and gorges of Arizona
Coronado National Forest
Protected areas of Cochise County, Arizona