The Coronado National Forest is a

United States National Forest In the United States, national forest is a classification of protected and managed federal lands that are largely forest and woodland areas. They are owned collectively by the American people through the federal government and managed by the ...

that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km²) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and southwestern

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. It is located in parts of Cochise, Graham, Santa Cruz, Pima, and Pinal Counties in Arizona, and Hidalgo County in New Mexico.

History

In 1902, the land that is now part of Coronado National Forest was included as part of the Santa Rita Forest Reserve. This was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1905, and the Coronado National Forest was established in 1908. During a party in 2017, the Sawmill Fire ignited and went out control. The fire went on for many days. Approximately were burnt. The person behind the fire was an off duty US Border Patrol agent. He was fined and given probation. The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs constructed a length of wall in 2022 on federal and tribal lands near Yuma, without federal permission. The National Forest Supervisor told the state to refrain from placing more shipping containers along the Arizona border with Mexico without obtaining proper authorization. Governor

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey ( ; ; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served as the 23rd List of governors of Arizona, governor of Arizona from 2015 to 2023 and as State Treas ...

filed a lawsuit in October against federal agencies that have sought to force the removal of the initial 130 containers used as a wall on the border. Governor-elect Katie Hobbs had stated an intention to remove the containers after taking office. The State has agreed to remove the containers starting January 2023.

Administration

The national forest is divided into five ranger districts, which are not contiguous; each consists of multiple sky island mountain ranges. The Santa Catalina Ranger District near the city of

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

comprises the Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains. Included in this area are the highest peak of the Santa Catalinas, Mount Lemmon, the rugged Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area, and the popular Sabino Canyon. Much of this district was part of Santa Catalina National Forest before its inclusion in Coronado. The Safford Ranger District comprises the mountain ranges surrounding the city of

Safford, Arizona Safford (Western Apache language, Western Apache: Ichʼįʼ Nahiłtį́į́) is a city in Graham County, Arizona, Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population of the city is 10,1 ...

. These five ranges are the Pinaleño, Galiuro, Santa Teresa, Winchester, and Greasewood Mountains. Included in this area is the highest peak of the Pinaleños, Mount Graham. Mount Graham National Forest was a formerly separate national forest, combined into Crook National Forest on July 1, 1908. In 1953, part of Crook was absorbed into Coronado. The Nogales Ranger District comprises four mountain ranges north and west of

Nogales, Arizona Nogales (; English: or ) is a city in and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales L ...

. These ranges are the Santa Rita, Tumacacori, Pajarito, and San Luis Mountains. Included in this area are Mount Hopkins, Mount Wrightson, and Madera Canyon, all located in the Santa Ritas. In the early 20th century, this area included two national forests which were absorbed into Coronado:

Santa Rita National Forest Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christm ...

and Tumacacori National Forest. The Douglas Ranger District comprises three mountain ranges north and east of

Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulphur Springs Valley. Douglas has a Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry, border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of min ...

. These ranges are the

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua historically shared a common area, language, customs, and intertwined family relations with their fellow Apaches. ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

, and Peloncillo Mountains. A portion of the ranger district in the Peloncillos extends into New Mexico. The district comprises three formerly separate national forests: Chiricahua National Forest, Dragoon National Forest, and Peloncillo National Forest, all combined into Coronado. The Sierra Vista Ranger District comprises three mountain ranges west of

Sierra Vista, Arizona Sierra Vista (; ) is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population of the city is 45,308, and is the 27th most populous city in Arizona. The city is part of the Sierra ...

. These ranges are the Huachuca,

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

, and Whetstone Mountains. Included in this area is the highest peak in the Huachucas, Miller Peak, and the region of the Huachucas known as Canelo Hills. The district includes the formerly separate Huachuca National Forest.

Wilderness

The Coronado National Forest contains eight designated wilderness areas, with at least one in each ranger district. Congress defines "wilderness" as an area "untrammeled by man". Common activities in the Coronado National Forest wilderness areas include hiking, horseback riding, camping, hunting, and fishing. The use of mechanized or motorized equipment, including bicycles, generators, and chain saws, is prohibited. * Chiricahua Wilderness (Douglas District) * Galiuro Wilderness (Safford District) * Miller Peak Wilderness (Sierra Vista District) * Mount Wrightson Wilderness (Nogales District) * Pajarita Wilderness (Nogales District) * Pusch Ridge Wilderness (Santa Catalina District) * Rincon Wilderness (Santa Catalina District) * Santa Teresa Wilderness (Safford District)

Campgrounds

The public campgrounds located within the Coronado National Forest,Coronado National Forest - Campground Guide
/ref> most of which require a daily/nightly fee (see Coronado National Forest official website for accurate and current details), are as follows:

References

External links

Coronado National Forest Web Site

Forest History Society

Hikes in the Coronado National Forest
at HikeArizona.COM
Listing of the National Forests of the United States and Their Dates
(from

Forest History Society The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history."Forest History Society." Echo Project. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. http://echo.gmu. ...

website) ''Text from Davis, Richard C., ed. Encyclopedia of American Forest and Conservation History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company for the Forest History Society, 1983. Vol. II, pp. 743–788.'' {{Authority control National forests of Arizona Protected areas of Pinal County, Arizona Protected areas of Cochise County, Arizona Protected areas of Graham County, Arizona Protected areas of Santa Cruz County, Arizona Protected areas of Pima County, Arizona Protected areas of Hidalgo County, New Mexico National forests of New Mexico Protected areas established in 1902 1902 establishments in Arizona Territory