Red Rock Canyon Trail #223, AZ

Rucker and Red Rock Canyon trails provide access to a landscape of deep canyons and high peaks in the southern reaches of the Chiricahua Wilderness.


Rucker Trail starts at the end of Forest Road 74E at Rucker Forest Camp and winds upstream along Rucker Creek through a deep forest of Arizona sycamore and cypress and ponderosa, Apache and Chihuahua pine. Portions of the creek along the trailside hold water year round and serve as home to a small introduced population of trout. Just upstream of the perennial water, Rucker Trail switchbacks steeply up the canyon's east slope to join the Red Rock Canyon Trail. Beyond this point, the trail descends 0.8 mile to its junction with the Price Canyon Trail #224.

The trail up Red Rock Canyon starts from the end of a primitive road, in an area of juniper and oak woodlands. For about 2.5 miles, it follows the floor of the narrow canyon named for the colorful rhyolite rocks that form its walls. The trail then switchbacks up and out of the canyon, over Sage Peak and along a high ridge to its junction with the Rucker Trail. There are good views along both of these trails, which you can take as a loop, if you don't mind traveling forest roads for about 4.5 miles between the trailheads. Both trails also provide access to a number of other Chiricahua trails including (by way of the Price Canyon Trail #224) the Crest Trail #270 along the top of the mountain range.

Check out the Official Route.

Note
This is a moderately difficult hike.

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2018-07-14 HAZ_Hikebot