Bonita Canyon Campground — Chiricahua National Monument

If approved by congress, Chiricahua National Monument will become Arizona's fourth National Park.  While the current monument  is a compact area geographically,  it definitely has the uniqueness of a national park and warrants the added protections.  It will however make a very special place more popular, so you might want to visit sooner than later. 

If you camp in a tent, van, micro-camper, or small travel trailer you will find Bonita Canyon Campground to be a memorable and wonderful place.  Don't try to bring any big rigs as they simply won't fit.  Reservations are a must. 

The campground is small, beautiful, shaded and right in the middle of some incredible scenery providing easy access to the fantastic hiking and wildlife viewing that is all around you.  Hosts were professional and friendly, bathhouse small but super clean, and the site boundaries were mostly marked with fences which is somewhat unique.  This is an old CCC built campground.  From the campground you can easily walk to the foundations of the original camp located nearby.  

Pay attention to fire regulations and status.  If permitted, campfires are limited to the raised grills (no rings) but you can bring your own solo type camp stove. You will need to bring your own wood and ice.  Pay attention to your fuel levels in your vehicle as this is a remote place.  

This is premier birdwatching country.  If you can, I would highly recommend taking  one of the guided walks provided by the rangers and park biologists.  We learned a bunch and I am not even "a birder" and enjoyed it.  The nearby visitor center will have the details. 

The Arizona Coatimundi's are a very unique mammal and frequently visit the campground.  Deer, turkeys, quail, and other wildlife are in abundance and easy to see from the hikes.  The views of the night sky are unparalleled. 

A short drive away provides access to some incredible trails for hiking or simply viewing the surrounding Wilderness areas.  The rock features found in this area make it unique. 

This continues to be one of our favorite places in Arizona to camp and hike.

Bonita Canyon CG- Chiricahua NM: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: Campsites in outer loop are more nicely spaced(rate 4) and trailer adds to privacy. Inner loop sites are often a bit close (rate 3). Price 2024: $ 10 w interagency Usage during visit: Very full, especially weekends.
Site Privacy: No Site Spacing: Outside sites are spacious Pad surface: Gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very quiet.
Outside Road Noise: None Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: No Potable Water Available: Yes. Spigots are scattered, locations clearly marked Generators: Allowed, but other than ours, I never heard one. Bathroom: Built by CCC. Clean and rustic. I like them. Showers: No Pull Throughs: I didn’t notice any Cell Service (AT&T): No. WiFi at the visitor center Setting: Woods Recent Weather: 70s to low 80s.
Solar: At our site with good positioning, we were able to bring in 12amps per day with 400 watt fixed panels.
Insects: None now Host: Yes, 2 couples Rig Size: Limited to 24’.

We've stayed here a number of times, always in March. Very nice, quiet campground in a wooded canyon with a small stream running right through the CG. There are 25 sites, mostly smallish, better suited for small rvs/trailers or tents. Not enough room for very rigs in here. 

Water spigots are scattered throughout, 1 restroom with flush toilet. Last time we were there they had an issue with water system and had to shut it off and bring in port-a-potties.

As far as other amenities, there's spotty cell service (at least Verizon) and Wifi at the visitor center not far from the CG. Nearest services and dump station are in Willcox, 37 miles away. There's also a gas station/convenience store at a place called the Mustang Mall (it's not a mall in the usual sense), 29 miles west of Bonita.

A number of good hiking trails, mostly up on top at Massai Point with a few additional trails starting at the CG. Our favorite is Echo Canyon to the Visitor Cntr.

One important note: Ground fires are not allowed (at least as of 2023), which means you can have one in the above ground little BBQ grill or you have to have your own fire pan to have a wood fire. Speaking of which, no wood is for sale at the Monument nor are you allowed to gather it.

So, bring everything you need!!

Hubs and I really enjoyed our 4 day/3 night stay at Bonita Canyon. The problem was with the online reservations. We stayed April 28, 29 and 30 and left on May 1 after making the reservations at recreation.gov back in December 2020. We completed the online registration exactly as directed and entered our InterAgency Senior pass number. In spite of this, we were charged$30 per night and were not given our Senior discount. I contacted recreation.gov by e mail twice to dispute the charges. The first response stated that they had charged me correctly and that case was closed. I sent a 2nd e mail asking them to check again, given that recreation.gov showed the nightly rate as$20 WITHOUT the senior discount- after that, they failed to respond entirely. I've been home 4 days now and still no response. Ignoring us is not the right way to handle things. I'm disappointed. Anyway as far as the campground goes- it is a delightful treed setting with level terrain. There is a tent pad(gravel), a picnic table and a dirty BBQ grill on each site. There is also an ash pail and a rudimentary BBQ tool to shove the ashes into the pail.(Our pail had large holes in the bottom). Only ADA site(#08) has electric. Electric is not available in any other site except the camp host sites. There are water spigots placed evenly throughout the campground. This campground is NOT for any RV over 30 feet. There are dips and tight corners, trees and boulders(as well as fences) all around the grounds and within the sites themselves. We saw mostly tent campers, car campers, vans, small couples campers and truck campers. There were a few larger units but they had difficulty with the dips in the road and backing into their sites. There are no showers. There is only one restroom building containing a men's room and a ladies room. These bathrooms are heated and have two toilets each.(one stall is ADA). The bathrooms are filthy, have only a cold water, no paper towels and if you're lucky- liquid soap. There is also an air hand dryer. The bathrooms really need to be power-washed. I was there 4 days and 3 nights and the bathrooms were never touched. Once a day the fellow who emptied the garbage threw a couple of rolls of toilet paper on the ledge between the bathroom stalls. That was it. Next time I visit I'll be bringing along a pair of rubber gloves, a can of Ajax and a scrubbie pad. There are bear-safe containers for food at each site and trash cans dispersed throughout the campground. There's a Visitor's Center and a small museum(museum was closed during our visit due to Covid- and masks required inside the building). The hiking trails are numerous and have a variety of difficulty levels. Massai Point(a short drive up the hill) has a great little nature hike and is a good learning experience as well. We will be going back in October to hike more trails. The closest town is Willcox, AZ which is 37 miles from Bonita Canyon. Make sure you have everything you need BEFORE you go to the campground as there is nowhere to buy ice or other items. Our first 2 days/nights were very peaceful, filled with rustling trees, gentle breezes and great star-gazing. Our last night(Friday) was pretty noisy as larger groups of people arrived for the weekend- so time your visit to match your preferences.