## Overview

 Half Moon Ranch is a ranch style house located in East Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains of the Coronado National Forest, approximately 1-1/2 hours east of Tucson. The house is situated in a dramatic canyon that provides excellent rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding opportunities. 
## Recreation

 The area around Half Moon ranch has long been considered a bouldering and rock climbing paradise, boasting backcountry and protected routes ranging from one to seven pitches in length, and from 5.6 to 5.12 in difficulty. Most approaches are 30-60 minutes in length, although there are a number of known areas that are easily accessible from the roads. In addition, the nearby Cochise Stronghold Campground has interpretive tales for both natural and cultural resources and history. 
## Facilities

 Half Moon Ranch is a seven-room ranch style house, suitable for groups of up to 10 people. The house has two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen. The master bedroom has a queen-size bed; the second bedroom has two beds, a twin and full. The living room contains two double futons, rocking chairs, and a wood stove (firewood not provided). The dining room has a table and chairs that seats six. A small dinette set with seating for four is located in the kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a stove, oven, microwave and refrigerator, pots, pans, utensils, dishes, &amp; coffee machine. The house has electricity and running water. Outside, guests will enjoy using picnic table for outdoor dining. The Forest Service is unable to provide firewood at this time. Please note that the indoor fireplace is not maintained for use. Although the cabin has amenities for comfortable lodging, guests do need to provide some of their own supplies, including food, sleeping bags, linens, pillows, towels, dish soap, matches, a first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags. Although electricity is available, it is recommended that guests bring an additional light source in case of emergencies. A barn and corrals are located to the east of the main house. There is a covered storage area for hay as well. Up to six horses/mules are permitted in the corrals, and feed must be certified weed-free. 
## Natural Features

 Half Moon Ranch is surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Dragoon Mountains and Cochise Stronghold. At an elevation of 5,000 feet, the sparsely wooded area is a protective rampart of granite spires, sheer cliffs, and balanced rocks and boulders which were once the refuge of the Apache Chief, Cochise. The ranch house lies in a mountain range or \"sky island\" in the Coronado National Forest, rising dramatically from the desert floor and supporting abundant and biologically diverse plant and animal communities. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The Half Moon Ranch is located approximately 9 miles west of Sunsites, Arizona. Attractions in the area include the Chiricahua National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, the Amerind Foundation, the ghost towns of Gleeson, Dos Cabezas, and Courtland, and the Willcox Playa.

Half Moon Ranch

If you have traveled anywhere within 70 miles of Dragoon, Arizona you know you have seen a sign saying come see "The Thing", so naturally after seeing that for over an hour we decided we had to stop! We decided while we were here to check out a few campgrounds to give a little feedback and the Half Moon Ranch was one of those.

This is not a site I would usually consider for stay because while it does have tent sites it more focuses on the ranch aspect with ranch houses and focus on horseback riding and rock climbing, neither of which are really my thing. In fact, when I checked in to the facility I actually saw nothing to indicate tents would even have a space if they were considering staying the night.

The site was nice for what it was and is run as a part of the Coronado National Forest so it was maintained to standard.

This was a great place to stretch out and check out something new and who knows maybe in the future if I decide I need something a little different in my life I can check it out. But until then, I'll just chalk this up to a good stop after paying my quarter to see "the thing" nearby.