Cave Creek Canyon - Chiricuhua Wilderness -

Coronado National Forest

Cave Creek Canyon is one of the most unique places in North America for biodiversity. Cave Creek Canyon is a stunning canyon within the Chiricahua Mountains, which are among a network of isolated “Sky Islands” that rise up to 10,000 feet above the deserts and grasslands. You can see approximately 370 species of bird, 170 species of butterflies, and 70 species of mammals, in addition to hundreds of plant species. These Sky Islands are so high in biodiversity because they sit at the convergence of four major ecoregions: The Sonoran Desert, The Chihuahuan Desert, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Madre Occidental. In addition to a diversity of perennial inhabitants, species migrating north or south will find refuge in these Sky Islands because of the rainfall they capture, temperature variations across elevation, and unique geologic and topographic features. Cave Creek Canyon is edged in rhyolite cliffs and spires that offer spectacular colors.

The South Fork of Cave Creek runs through the Canyon and supports a riparian forest of walnut, sycamore, cypress, Apache pine, Ponderosa pine, and Chihuahuan pine, along with Douglas-fir and Arizona madrone. One of the most notable birds, the elegant trogon, can be seen in this area. Fall colors blanket the landscape as the Rocky Mountain maples change from green to gold and scarlet.

As you increase in elevation, the habitats transition from desert scrub with cactus, agave, yucca, and mesquite at the base to old-growth Ponderosa Pine “parks” (with meadows) at the peak. The Horseshoe II Fire burned in 2011 and many areas at higher elevation are recovering from mixed intensity fire.